Abstract
Epiphytic lichens are important for ecosystem function in forests but have decreased dramatically due to industrial forestry. This project focuses on pendulous lichens that constitute valuable forage for reindeer. The objectives are: to understand the mechanisms that regulate productivity of pendulous lichens in forest canopies to develop methods to improve productivity and ecosystem function of lichens using continuous cover forestry systems. The performance of lichens depends on the balance between growth and losses. A key issue is to identify the conditions leading to accumulation of biomass. We hypothesize that vertical and horizontal ranges of species are controlled by the same factors. In experiments we study how lichens adapted to different vertical canopy positions respond to microclimate and increasing canopy openness, develop models that can predict productivity from microclimate, and develop guidelines for choosing management models that can maintain lichen biomass, growth and dispersal. The result is a strategy for adaptive management of lichen-rich forests and tools for stakeholders, particularly landowners and Sami villages. The research builds upon our previous Formas project where we have made a thinning experiment (15 plots with 0, 33 and 67% canopy removal) in SLU´s Exp. forests in Vindeln, Västerbotten, and created an excellent infrastructure for lichen research. The work is done in cooperation with Sveaskog and researchers in Norway and Canada.
Sweden