One of the world's largest aspen colonies is at risk because of mule deer and cattle.

(Pete Lomchid/Getty Images)

At a Glance

The Pando quaking aspen colony has adorned the central Utah landscape for thousands of years.The Trembling Giant weighs 13 million pounds and covers 106 acres in the Beehive State's Fishlake National Forest.The colony is at risk because of mule deer and cattle that eat new growth.A lack of natural predators and hunting regulations are contributing to the demise of the colony.

One of the world's largest and oldest organisms is dying in Utah, and humans may be partially to blame.

The Pando quaking aspen colony has adorned the central Utah landscape for thousands of years. Also known as the "Trembling Giant," the colony is a genetically identical grouping of that share a single root system, according to Atlas Obscura.

The organismweighs 13 million pounds and covers 106 acres in the Beehive State's Fishlake National Forest.

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In a new study published this week in PLOS One, researchers studying the colony say the is at risk because of grazing mule deer and cattle that consume new growth.

As older trees in the system die off, new ones sprout up to take their place. It has been that way for millennia. But now, new growths are being eaten by the deer and cattle, which could mean the eventual end of the colony unless something is done to protect the organism.

“It’s ,”Paul Rogersof Utah State University and theWestern Aspen Alliance said in apress release.

Years ago, grizzly bears and wolves were the , according to Live Science. Now, there are no natural predators and because the colony is part of the national forest, the deer are protected from hunters that could help cull populations, the report added.

"Pando is failing because of human decisions," Rogers told Live Science. "Humans control wild animals, particularly wild-game species like deer and elk."

Using aerial photography and comparing recent shots with other photographs that span 72 years, the team also determinedthe colony is thinning.

Two years ago, Rogers and his partnerDarren McAvoy set up fencing around parts of the colony in the hopes of protecting Pando from what they call browsers, but that endeavor proved to be only partially successful.

McAvoy, a Utah State University Extension professor in wildland resources, told the Herald Journal that “ and sometimes take fences with them, which allows browsing animals inside.”

Rogers believes the mule deer are also capable of jumping the 8-foot tall fence.

Rogers and McAvoy still contend fencing is the best way to protect the colony, but greater patrolling by forest managers is needed so downed fencing can be repaired quickly, allowing new sprouts a chance to grow, they said.

“If this thing’s so big and it’s been around a long time ... and it’s all of a sudden collapsing in our time ... that makes us interested in saying, ‘What’s going wrong, and how do we need to turn that around and fix the situation?’” Rogers told the Herald Journal.