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Old 10-19-2018, 08:52 AM
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Unhappy Humans And Deer Are Killing Earth's Largest Organism Together

Humans And Deer Are Killing Earth's Largest Organism Together
By: David Grossman - Oct 18, 2018
RE: https://www.popularmechanics.com/sci...gest-organism/

The largest living organism, not to mention one of the oldest, lives in the Fishlake National Forest in central Utah. Sometimes called the Trembling Giant, sometimes called Pando (Latin for "I spread"), it is a grove of 40,000 individual trees that function as a single organism through the connection of their roots. A new study from Utah State University shows that failed conservation efforts are leaving the magnificent organism "collapsing on our watch."

Formally called an "Aspen clone," the Pando sits on more than 106 acres and weighs a collective 13 million pounds. Scientists only have the roughest of estimates on its age, with the end of the last ice age, around 2.6 million years ago, as their best guess.

Problems with regeneration go back at least 30 or 40 years. According to the National Forest Service, "it is thought that the lack of regeneration is due to over-browsing from deer and other ungulates [hoofed animals]." The study from Utah State confirms that deer are a major problem.

To determine the infiltration of deer and other hoofed animals, the research team measured "live and dead mature trees, stem recruitment and regeneration, forest and shrub cover, browse level [browsing is like grazing but with leaves and shrubs], and feces counts."

In addition to extensive study on the ground, the study also produced a unique photograph showcasing 72 years of the Pando's history. The photo shows a thinning forest. Taken together, the results were clear.

"After significant investment in protecting the iconic Pando clone, we were disappointed in this result," says Paul Rogers, an adjunct faculty member in USU's Wildland Resources Department, in a press statement. "In particular, mule deer appear to be finding ways to enter through weak points in the fence or by jumping over the eight-foot barrier" recently erected to keep deer out.

Speaking to Earther, Rogers is blunt: “People are at the center of that failure,” he says, referring to how deer are getting close to the Pando"

“Humans decide on how many animals are there and how they move around. Because there are people there recreating and having homes in the area and roads in the area, you’re not allowed to hunt. Because of human presence, deer are more safe, which causes a localized overabundance of the animals.”
The deforestation of the Pando, placed in the context of deforestation worldwide, would be a true loss for the environment for the western American continent. According to Rodgers, people need to make a choice between their own comfort and the life of one of the most stunning organisms in the history of the planet.

As he says in his press statement, "one clear lesson emerges here: we cannot independently manage wildlife and forests."

Source: Earther
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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