Pando, the world's largest organism is dying, study suggests

Brett Molina | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Earth's largest organism is dying Pando, a colony of 40,000 trees in Utah, is shrinking due to failed preservation efforts. The cluster of trees can't expand due to grazing wildlife.

Pando, a colony of trees in Utah considered the largest organism on Earth, is shrinking partly because of failed attempts by humans to keep it preserved, a new study suggests.

The Pando, found in Fishlake National Forest in Utah, is a cluster of more than 40,000 trees naturally cloned from a single tree. Pando, Latin for "I spread," stretches out over 106 acres.

Researchers from Utah State University found animals such as mule deer and cattle were grazing near the Pando, preventing new trees from growing as older trees die off.

A 72-year-old aerial photo sequence presented in the journal PLoS One found the number of trees appearing in the Pando are thinning out.

Attempts to prevent wildlife from gaining access to the organism by installing fencing have not worked as well as anticipated, researchers said.

"It is now collapsing on our watch," said Paul Rogers, Director of the Western Aspen Alliance and an adjunct faculty member in Utah State's Wildland Resources Department, in a statement. "One clear lesson emerges here: we cannot independently manage wildlife and forests."

Rogers adds it's still possible to save the organism through what he calls "mega-conservation."

"It would be shame to witness the significant reduction of this iconic forest when reversing this decline is realizable, should we demonstrate the will to do so," he said.

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