Tree throw

The resultant hole will often slowly fill with organic material and can be identified during archaeological fieldwork.

[1] The pit left in the ground after a rootwad is removed can be several meters across and 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) deep.

[2] Fresh tree throws also provide a degree of shelter amongst the roots for animals.

Some also contain evidence of prehistoric human activity such as flint tools suggesting that they were sometimes used by people in the distant past.

[2] The advent of trees roughly 370 million years ago led to dramatic ecosystem changes, as before then bedrock weathering was too slow to maintain thick soils in hilly terrain.