Back
28· Cooling
Health & Science6h 51m ago
A single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, in the Malheur National Forest has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years and now covers nearly ten square kilometres.
Archive Window: 30 Days Left
Blue Mountains, Malheur National Forest, eastern Oregon
Who
Greg Whipple, Forest Service worker; Ferguson, Dreisbach, Parks, Filip and Schmitt, Forest Service team
What
A single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, in the Malheur National Forest has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years and now covers nearly ten square kilometres.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 03:16:01 GMT · 6h 51m ago
Where
Blue Mountains, Malheur National Forest, eastern Oregon ·
Why
The fungus, a root pathogen, feeds by killing trees, spreading its mycelium and rhizomorphs through soil and wood to advance from root to root.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
The Armillaria ostoyae in Oregon's Malheur National Forest is one of the strongest contenders for the largest living organism by area, demonstrating an extraordinary scale of life hidden beneath the surface. Its spread impacts the forest ecosystem by killing trees and highlighting the long-term, subtle changes that can occur in natural environments.
Story chain
10 events in this thread- Health & Science6h 51m agoBeneath the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest, a single honey fungus has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years, now covering nearly ten square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoA single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, in Oregon's Malheur National Forest has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years and now covers nearly 10 square kilometers.Open article
- Currently Reading6h 51m agoA single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, in the Malheur National Forest has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years and now covers nearly ten square kilometres.
- Health & Science6h 51m agoA single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, has been spreading through the roots of the forest in the Malheur National Forest, eastern Oregon, for thousands of years, now covering nearly ten square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoBeneath the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, a single honey fungus has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years, now covering nearly 10 square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoBeneath the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest, a single honey fungus has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years, now covering nearly ten square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoBeneath the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, a single honey fungus has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years, now covering nearly 10 square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoA single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, in the Malheur National Forest, has been spreading for thousands of years and now covers nearly 10 square kilometres.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoA single honey fungus, Armillaria ostoyae, covering nearly ten square kilometres, has been spreading through the roots of the forest in Oregon’s Blue Mountains for thousands of years.Open article
- Health & Science6h 51m agoBeneath the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest, a single honey fungus has been spreading through the roots of the forest for thousands of years, now covering nearly ten square kilometres.Open article