Trees Through Time with Prof. Jennifer McElwain
Last week, Professor Jennifer McElwain delivered her invited public lecture “Trees Through Time” as part of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum Autumn Lecture Series. The event took place at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History on Thursday, 20 November, and was attended both in person and online.
If you missed the live lecture, the full recording is now available on YouTube:
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/dpNrLJXBrMw
In the talk, Jennifer explores the deep-time history of Earth’s forests, from the earliest land plants to the rise of complex tree ecosystems, and shows how these evolutionary milestones fundamentally shaped our planet’s climate. She highlights how shifts in plant life altered atmospheric CO₂, influenced global temperatures, and even contributed to major environmental transitions. By looking at ancient ecosystems preserved in the fossil record, Jennifer reveals what they can teach us about today’s rapidly changing climate and the future resilience of modern forests.
