Protecting Pando
This article talks about threats to Pando, a giant aspen stand that is by mass the world's largest organism.
Deer are eating the youngest ‘trees’
This problem is quick and easy to solve.
1) The best approach would simply be to restore their predators. We know from the Yellowstone restoration that returning wolves has an instant effect on deer, elk, and other large prey animals followed by a very fast recovery in trees such as aspens. This solution has the advantage of restoring the ecosystem to something closer to what Pando evolved in.
2) Permit hunters to kill and eat the deer. While less desirable than wolves, hunters are probably more acceptable politically. Perhaps they could be deployed first while we work on convincing people that wolves are a vital part of the ecosystem.
Diseases and climate change
Sadly there's not much we can do about most of this, in a short-term or local sense.
With more competition for ever-dwindling water resources (the nearby Fish Lake is just out of reach of the tree’s root system), temperatures expected to continue soaring to record highs in summer, and the threat of more intense wildfires, Pando will certainly struggle to adjust to these fast-changing conditions while maintaining its size.
There's a reason this aspen stand is bigger than others, and I'll bet that involves reaching for resources and being better at obtaining them. So I would look for nearby water sources that could be redirected into Pando's reach -- and ones like Fish Lake that could be in reach if Pando was just a little closer or bigger. Could we, for example, divert a stream through the stand or encourage new stems to grow closer to the lake?
It’s these moments that remind us that we have plants, animals and ecosystems worth protecting. In Pando, we get the rare chance to protect all three.
I suggest that we try to fix what we broke, like the predator-prey chain, and then back the fuck off.
Deer are eating the youngest ‘trees’
This problem is quick and easy to solve.
1) The best approach would simply be to restore their predators. We know from the Yellowstone restoration that returning wolves has an instant effect on deer, elk, and other large prey animals followed by a very fast recovery in trees such as aspens. This solution has the advantage of restoring the ecosystem to something closer to what Pando evolved in.
2) Permit hunters to kill and eat the deer. While less desirable than wolves, hunters are probably more acceptable politically. Perhaps they could be deployed first while we work on convincing people that wolves are a vital part of the ecosystem.
Diseases and climate change
Sadly there's not much we can do about most of this, in a short-term or local sense.
With more competition for ever-dwindling water resources (the nearby Fish Lake is just out of reach of the tree’s root system), temperatures expected to continue soaring to record highs in summer, and the threat of more intense wildfires, Pando will certainly struggle to adjust to these fast-changing conditions while maintaining its size.
There's a reason this aspen stand is bigger than others, and I'll bet that involves reaching for resources and being better at obtaining them. So I would look for nearby water sources that could be redirected into Pando's reach -- and ones like Fish Lake that could be in reach if Pando was just a little closer or bigger. Could we, for example, divert a stream through the stand or encourage new stems to grow closer to the lake?
It’s these moments that remind us that we have plants, animals and ecosystems worth protecting. In Pando, we get the rare chance to protect all three.
I suggest that we try to fix what we broke, like the predator-prey chain, and then back the fuck off.