00:00 Pando is an aspen forest that is genetically identical and is currently not doing well.

04:59 Pando is an enormous aspen forest consisting of genetically identical trees that all come from one massive root structure, making it the largest organism on Earth.

10:02 Pando is a massive aspen forest that is interconnected through a root system, allowing for vegetative growth and the sharing of resources such as water and nutrients.

14:52 Aspens are able to thrive in forest fires because they have evolved to respond to fire by sending hormonal signals to the rest of the tree to repopulate the area that has been ravaged by fire, allowing them to dominate the area for the next several hundred years.

19:37 Aspen groves need fire to thrive and can live for a very long time as long as there is a cycle of fire that doesn't come too frequently or too infrequently, and fire suppression by humans has prevented the growth of aspen forests.

24:02 Aspen trees can reproduce either vegetatively, resulting in genetically identical trees, or sexually, resulting in offspring with different genetics, and the age of Aspen trees can vary depending on location, with Pando in Colorado usually not living more than 75 years, but Pando itself, which is a massive clone, is estimated to be anywhere from 13,000 to 80,000 years old, and possibly even older.

28:40 The human impact on Pando, including building homes, campgrounds, and infrastructure, as well as the threat of herbivores like deer and elk eating the young aspen trees, has had a negative effect on the health and survival of the organism.

33:50 The overgrazing and overbrowsing by mule deer and elk, as well as the lack of apex predators, are the main factors contributing to the decline of Pando.

38:42 The presence of predators such as wolves, bears, and mountain lions would prevent overgrazing and overbrowsing by elk and mule deer, allowing Pando to recover over time, but without these predators, the browsing is concentrated in one place and Pando is at risk of dying.

43:17 Pando covers 2,200 acres of Mallor National Forest in Oregon, but it is only a couple thousand years old.