First Connections:
Meet the Pando Tree
Pando is the world’s largest tree of any kind— a single quaking aspen that spreads across 106 acres via a massive interconnected root system. Learn about Pando from the only nonprofit soley dedicated to its protection and care, Friends of Pando.
Did you read a story or hear something about Pando worries you? Visit our Science Communication Center to learn more.
Friends of Pando FAQ's
Table of Contents
What is Pando?
Pando is the world’s largest tree of any kind. Pando spans 106 acres (43ha) across 0.67 mi × 0.45 mi
How do you say "Pando," and what does the name mean?
“Pando” is pronounced PAN-dough and is Latin for “I spread out” or “I expand.” Scientist Michael Grant gave the tree this name in a 1992 article, fitting for an organism that is expanding outward across its landmass to this day.
Sources: Grant, M.C., “The Trembling Giant,” Discover Magazine | Grant, Mitton et al., “Even larger organisms,” Nature 360:216 (1992)
What makes Pando the largest tree of any kind?
- Pando is the largest tree by weight: 13.2 Million Pounds. That makes it 3 times larger by weight than the largest Giant Sequoia Tree, the General Sherman.
- Pando is the largest tree by landmass. Pando spans 106 acres (43ha)
- Pando is the largest tree by species and type. Pando is the largest Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) clone verified by genetic testing
No other tree is larger than Pando in any one of these ways described above.
Pando is the largest tree in all three ways at the same time. In the world of trees, Pando is in a class of its own.
Sources: What is the Pando Tree? (Friends of Pando Natural History) | Kemperman & Barnes 1976, Canadian Journal of Botany 54(22) | DeWoody et al. 2008, Western North American Naturalist 68(4) |Grant, M.C., “The Trembling Giant,” Discover Magazine | Grant, Mitton et al., “Even larger organisms,” Nature 360:216 (1992)
How do we know Pando is the largest tree of any kind?
Genetic testing.
Between 2006 and 2008, researchers from the US Forest Service collaborated with independent researchers to gather plant tissue for genetic testing. They announced their findings in 2008, proving Pando was a single organism operating on a vast scale.
What species of tree is Pando?
Pando is an aspen tree, species Populus tremuloides Michx.
Does Pando have one trunk, like a tree in my yard?
No. Pando is an aspen genet, sometime called a clone. Pando features an estimated 47,000 trunks (aka ramets, stems) that, at first glance, look like individual tree trunks, but are in fact, genetically identical parts of a single tree connected by a massive root system.
Pando is called a "clone tree", what does that mean?
Some trees grow a single trunk, others grow many trunks that operate as part of a larger tree.
When we say Pando is a “clone” (the proper technical term is “genet”), it simply means that Pando self-replicates itself – also known as vegetative reproduction. This means each trunk is genetically identical to the next one.
Because Pando is a clone, does that mean it is not a single tree?
No. Many tree species can self- replicate; Oak, Locusts, Alder, Yew, Apple and Coastal Redwood are examples.
Pando has the same parts as a single tree, just on a larger scale. It has multiple trunks, and each trunk has a xylem, phloem, cambium, branches and leaves. Each of those trunks work together as one to create energy for the network of trunks.
Where is Pando?
Pando is located in Fish Lake, Utah in the Fishlake National Forest in south-central Utah.
Who is responsible for Pando's care?
Protecting and caring for Pando is a genuine team effort by design, not accident. Dating back to the 1980s, work to protect, study and care for Pando has involved broad collaboration between federal, state, local and nonprofit organizations.
At the Federal Level
Fishlake National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service (USDA) is Pando’s federal land steward and has dominion over Pando and final authority over its study, protection and care.
At the State of Utah
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR): UDWR holds authority over wildlife in and around Pando and also plays an active role in habitat management. UDWR collaborates closely with the US Forest Service, other State Agencies and, organizations like Friends of Pando.
- Utah Forest, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL): FFSL brings a broader lens on forest health, forest resilience and watershed protection of Pando and its homeland. FFSL works with federal and state agencies and groups like Friends of Pando to promote aspen health as a keystone species critical to the people of Utah.
- Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (UPLCO): Utah Public Lands Coordinating Office has an advisory role in Pando’s care given Pando’s international stature and its location on public recreational lands.
- Division of Water (DWQ): While DWQ is not directly involved in Pando’s study and care, they have a role in Pando’s homeland. Pando lives in the Fish Lake Basin, the largest freshwater source in the region. UDWQ works with various agencies and nonprofits to ensure watershed protections for Pando’s homeland.
At the Public Level
- Friends of Pando (FOP): FOP is an official partner to Fishlake National Forest and is the only organization solely dedicated to Pando’s study, protection and care. We collaborate with agencies and community leaders to design and undertake a variety of programs based on existing models shown to be successful in forestry, aspen ecology and community forestry.
At the Private and Local Level:
- Recreational Organizations: Various recreational organizations and permitted operators have a stake in Pando’s usage and care.
- Permittees: Various groups have permits to use water, timber and forage in Pando’s homeland under the authority of Fishlake National Forest.
- Treaty Holders: The Nuwuvi (anglecized as the “Paiute” people), have authority over land use on their treaty lands, which lie outside of Pando’s landmass.
Sources: What is the Pando Tree? | About Us | Fish Lake Recreation Area — U.S. Forest Service
I've heard fungal networks are bigger than Pando — is that true?
Yes. A honey fungus colony in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest covers about 2,385 acres and may weigh up to 35,000 tons. The Malheur Honey Fungus has already been eclipsed. A newly published global survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks – describes something larger still.
Pando is the largest tree of any kind by weight, land mass, and species each to say nothing about being the largest tree in 3 dimensions of measure.
Sources: First global map reveals underground fungi networks long enough to reach the sun a billion times, June 12, 2026, Science.org | Armillaria ostoyae — Wikipedia | Oregon Encyclopedia — Humongous Fungus
I've heard Pando is 80,000 years old, is that true?
No. This is one of the oldest pieces of information about Pando online — and a claim that went unchecked and spread for decades.
Pando is at least 9,000 years old, and no method available today can fix a firm upper limit on its age. The landscape points to a post-glacial establishment, most likely between 9,000 and 16,000 years ago. Friends of Pando and others are working on new models to sharpen that estimate, but it is challenging — as no part of Pando from that long ago remains to test, so we have to rely on genetic clocks.
What does it actually feel like to stand in Pando?
Visitors describe Pando as an ordinary-looking aspen forest until they notice the pattern: thousands of stems, all leafed out and changing color in unison each season. Artists who’ve spent extended time there describe the scale as humbling — land artists Harriet and Rob Fraser said it shifted them into a state of wonder and curiosity, while sculptor Emily Loughlin compared the disorientation to being lost in a labyrinth. There’s also a quieter version of the experience: standing still, listening to wind move through the canopy.
Sources: Harriet & Rob Fraser Artist in Residence | Emily Loughlin Artist in Residence
Is there a spot where you can see the whole tree at once?
Yes. Outside Pando. If you stand outside Pando on the east side of Coots Slough looking back to the west, you can see Pando’s outline twice a year.
In Spring, Pando’s physical outline is visible when the trees around it get their leaves before Pando does, leaving Pando’s landmass to stand out in contrast as it has no leaves yet.
Each Fall, you can see Pando’s outline again as it is so large, it keeps its leaves green much longer than surrounding trees which allows you to see Pando as a sea of green in contrast to the fall foliage of smaller trees around it.
I saw a claim about Pando in a news story or a book, how do I quickly check if it's true?
Friends of Pando’s Science Communication Center fact-checks the most common claims about the tree’s age, health, and structure. Each entry traces where a claim came from, what the data actually shows, and links to the original research (if the claim is verified). If your question isn’t covered there, the rest of this FAQ likely addresses it.
Sources: Science Communication Center
Friends of Pando FAQ Collection
Answers from the people who work to care for Pando every day
Friends of Pando is dedicated and working to educate the public, support research and preservation efforts and inspire stewardship of Pando, the world’s largest tree.
Friends of Pando is a proud partner of Pando’s public land stewards, Fishlake National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. Learn more about our partnership.
Friends of Pando and its partners are equal opportunity employers.
Just $18 a month supports work to ensure Pando can be enjoyed for generations to come. Make a one-time or, recurring tax deductible donation today.
Friends of Pando
PO Box 12
Richfield, UT, 84701
Phone: 435-633-1893
IRS EIN: 87-3958681
