About the Pando Tree
- Oct 15, 2022
- 1 min read
Updated: Nov 6, 2022
Pando
What is it?
The Pando is a clone colony consisting of individual male quaking aspen trees that grow as one organism. It, or they, are noted by researchers to be a single unit, many trees above ground with one large massive interconnected underground root system. The Pando is the largest and oldest living organism on the planet. It spreads over 106 acres, consisting of over 40,000 clone trees.
Why does it matter?
The Pando is estimated to be approximately 80 thousand years old with some of the the trees being over hundreds of years old. There is great concern, as the Pando is shrinking and showing signs of decline. Why is it that an organism which has been living and thriving for so long, now suddenly at risk? Deer and cattle seem to be eating the young sprouts, and thus as older trees die there are no young trees to replace them. Human expansion and killing of wolves and bears, have pushed herbivores into smaller and smaller habitats without predators. Is the Pando another of the canaries in the ecological coal mine?
Similar to the roots of the Pando; we are individuals, who together form society and culture. We are all interconnected and interdependent on each other. If our common goal is to leave the world greater, better and more beautiful than we found it; what actions as a society must we take now? Lets talk.
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