Contest #474: Pando, Fishlake National Forest, Utah, USA

Pando (Latin for “I Spread”), aka “The Trembling Giant” is considered by many scientists to be the heaviest (at 6,000,000 KG) and oldest (about 80,000 years) single living organism on the planet. It is a 106 acre or 43 hectare clonal colony of a single male quaking aspen tree with each trunk or “tree” sharing a common root system.

Pando

In 2012, it was announced by scientists studying Pando that the organism appears to be dying — not replacing trunks that wither and die with new shoots, though efforts by the National Forest Service to jump-start the organism’s regeneration processes appear to be having some minor successes.

Pando

Those who found Pando before the hint:

  • hhgygy
  • Phil Ower

And after the hint:

  • Glenmorren
  • Lighthouse