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The World's Largest Living Thing is Dying - in Utah

JazzGal

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/l...ng-scientists-warn/ar-BBOy9mi?ocid=spartandhp

An ancient forest in Utah considered to be the largest single living thing in the world is dying, according to scientists.

The Pando aspen, a gigantic expanse of 40,000 trees that are are all clones with identical compositions, has long been known as the "trembling giant" and covers over 106 acres in Utah's Fishlake National Forest.

The vast expanse is assumed to have one connected underground root system and is thought to be approximately 80,000 years old.

However, recent years have placed the Pando under enormous stress, which includes the impact of extended drought, fire suppression, human development and the encroachment of hungry deer, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS.

The forest has been failing to self-reproduce for the last 30 to 40 years, researchers say, due primarily to grazing from deer and cattle, which have been allowed to overrun the area.

“While Pando has likely existed for thousands of years – we have no method of firmly fixing its age – it is now collapsing on our watch,” Professor Paul Rogers, an ecologist at Utah State University, told the Independent.

Rogers and his colleague examined a 72-year series of aerial photographs that revealed the forest's decline, which showed that it has thinned over time as humans have expanded into it by cutting down trees.

The 13-million pound forest, like other such aspen forests, is known to support a range of biodiversity.

"It would be a shame to witness the significant reduction of this iconic forest when reversing this decline is realizable, should we demonstrate the will to do so," Rogers told USA Today.

I do not recall ever being aware of this - although with my memory being as it is these days, perhaps I have heard of it before. Still, very interesting and sad.
 
I was wondering how a forest of trees could be considered a single living thing, interesting that they say it's all one root system and that every tree is a clone of the others
 
I was wondering how a forest of trees could be considered a single living thing, interesting that they say it's all one root system and that every tree is a clone of the others
Yeah as the roots run outward they produce shoots that become new trees. I have a neighbor with some aspens in their yard and if they go more than a week without mowing you can see all the little shoots that would become new trees if they didn't get mowed down.
 
I had a science teacher that taught us about Pando. I guess there are a few ways to describe the largest organism so we also learned about the largest mammal, the largest single tree, which I believe is a Redwood in CA, an algae or something that was enormous and I think some insect colony. It was kind of interesting learning about all the different "biggest" living things based on different criteria.
 
I had a science teacher that taught us about Pando. I guess there are a few ways to describe the largest organism so we also learned about the largest mammal, the largest single tree, which I believe is a Redwood in CA, an algae or something that was enormous and I think some insect colony. It was kind of interesting learning about all the different "biggest" living things based on different criteria.

I thought the largest thing living, all told, was that mold in Oregon. yah. lots of trees do the root spreading with new shoots. 105 acres might have tens of thousands of "trees" weighing a ton apiece. I thought the moss/mold was square miles in expanse/

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=120049&page=1
 
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I had a science teacher that taught us about Pando. I guess there are a few ways to describe the largest organism so we also learned about the largest mammal, the largest single tree, which I believe is a Redwood in CA, an algae or something that was enormous and I think some insect colony. It was kind of interesting learning about all the different "biggest" living things based on different criteria.
the largest individual tree by volume is the sequoia... redwood's cousin.
 
This is very exciting news as I assume it means that the aspen's going crazy in my yard are moving into first place. Would anyone like to buy tickets to come enjoy the nirvana that can only be experienced while sitting in the presence of some type of world's largest object?
 
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