The Pando Tree is the world’s largest tree. Located in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah, Pando’s 47,000 genetically identical trunks span 43 hectares connected via a vast root network that coordinates energy production, defense and regeneration as a single tree. Active for 9,000-16,000 years, Pando is the oldest tree in the Americas, and one of the oldest lifeforms on Earth. Since 2021, conservation group Friends of Pando has partnered with Fishlake National Forest to educate the public and work to protect, monitor and restore Pando. In this talk, Friends of Pando founder, Lance Oditt will introduce audiences to this ancient wonder and the 10,000-year-long relationship between the tree and humans in the high desert oasis Pando calls home. Opening the talk will be Cumbria-based artists Rob Fraser and Harriet Fraser, founders of the Place Collective who will speak about their experiences visiting the tree in 2019 and, their return trip to Pando as artists in residence with Friends of Pando in 2025.
