What looks like an entire forest of individual trees is actually one single living organism. Aspen forests grow from one shared root system, meaning every tree you see is genetically identical — connected underground as one massive life form. • All trees in an aspen forest sprout from one interconnected root network. • Each trunk is technically a clone of the same original tree. • Some aspen colonies have lived for thousands of years. • The famous “Pando” aspen colony is one of the largest livin