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According to scientists, an ancient forest of Utah, considered the largest living creature in the world, is dying.
Pando's Aspen, a gigantic expanse of 40,000 trees that are all clones with identical compositions, has long been known as the "trembling giant" and covers more than 25 acres of the Fishlake National Forest, in Utah.
It is assumed that the vast expanse has a connected underground root system and would be about 80,000 years old.
However, the last few years have subjected the Pando to enormous stress, which includes the impact of prolonged drought, fire suppression, human development and encroachment of hungry deer, according to a published study Wednesday in the journal PLOS.
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Researchers say that the forest has not been breeding for 30 or 40 years, mainly because of deer and cattle grazing, which have been allowed to invade the area.
"While Pando has probably existed for thousands of years – we have no method to fix his age, he is now collapsing under our watch," said professor Paul Rogers, an environmentalist with The State University of Utah, at The Independent.
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Rogers and his colleague looked at a series of 72-year-old aerial photographs that revealed the decline of the forest, which has shown that it has thinned over time, as humans continue to grow. they are developed by cutting down trees.
The 13 million pound forest, like other poplar forests such as aspen forests, is recognized for its biological diversity.
"It would be a shame to witness the significant reduction of this iconic forest when reversing this decline is achievable, if we demonstrated the willingness to do so," Rogers told USA Today.
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