The Fossil Research Forest, located in the Seben district of Bolu, will open for visits in the spring season after the completion of studies carried out by the Western Black Sea Forestry Research Institute.

The fossil research forest, which is rare in the world and located in the village of Hocaş, was registered as a First Degree Natural Protected Area in 2005 by the Ankara Regional Board for Conservation of Cultural and Natural Assets and was declared Türkiye's first fossil forest in 2013.

The studies conducted under the leadership of the Western Black Sea Forestry Research Institute have come to an end in the forest, which consists of petrified tree trunks of various sizes on an area of ​​975 hectares sprawling across 900 hectares, approximately 63 kilometers (39 miles) from the city center of Bolu.

The forest hosts palm, poplar, willow, cedar, three to five coniferous pine, sweetgum, oak and zelkova trees, and leaf and branch fossils dating back to 18 million-19 million years ago can be seen.

Mustafa Arslan, director of the Western Black Sea Forestry Research Institute, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that since the work began in 2009, entry into the region had been restricted to prevent damage to fossils found in the area and to reach new finds more easily.

"In the first place, we also came across tree species that do not exist today. We have also found very different animal fossils with our supervised excavations, such as membrane-winged insects, closed-winged insects and fish. These studies are aimed at the sustainable conservation of fossils," he explained.

Stating that visitors will be welcomed by residents of the region and can generate an economic boom for locals, he said: "We will especially take people from this region and train them as field guides and provide first aid training in case visitors need such services while navigating through the rocky terrain. Local guides will also help visitors in many ways with the training they will receive."

Mentioning the importance of the Seben Fossil Research Forest, which is the "first and only" registered fossil forest in Türkiye, Arslan said, "Anyone who wishes can visit the forest, which is planned to be open to visitors soon, accompanied by field guides."