Pando, a clonal quaking
aspen stand, that, according to some sources, is the oldest (80,000 years) and largest (106 acres, 13 million pounds) organism on Earth, is located 1 mile southwest of Fish Lake on
Utah route 25. While we can't accurately determine how old Pando is, it's known that this vast, genetically uniform organism, consisting of approximately 47,000 stems (known as ramets), originated from a tiny seed about the size of a pepper grain. Aspen trees regenerate much faster than other trees after a wild fire. After lying dormant while the fire subsides, suckers will sprout above the surface and repopulate the area.'''''' These trees have been around for hundreds of years, some even for thousands of years. Not only is Fishlake National Forest home to clonal quaking aspen, but it is densely forested with many species of trees such as Douglas fir, limber pine, ponderosa pine, white fir, pinyon-juniper, and bristlecone pines. The wood of the bristlecone pine trees resist decay for thousands of years. Pinyon pine is one of the more dominant tree species and it tends to be invasive. In 2017 many pinyon pines were removed in the area to improve habitats for birds specifically who rely on grasslands and sage. Fish Lake holds
rainbow trout,
splake,
lake trout,
kokanee salmon,
brown trout,
tiger trout and
yellow perch. Yellow perch are regarded as an invasive species; there is no bag limit and anglers are encouraged to dispose of any yellow perch caught. Fish Lake is known for one trophy fish in particular which can grow to be more than 50 pounds, the mackinaw lake trout. The lake is stocked by the
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources fish hatchery in
Glenwood. Fish Lake is inhabited by more than 150 species of birds and other wildlife such as deer, moose, elk, and mountain goats. The region sees heavy snowfall in the winter, with snowfall occurring as late as June in any given year. For this reason tourist activity is at its peak in the summer months. ATV riding is permitted in 75 miles of Fishlake National Forest. ==Climate==