Rocky Mountain Research Station

Title: Lichen indicator [Section 4]

Author: Patterson, Paul L.; Will-Wolf, Susan; Trest, Marie T.

Date: 2009

Source: In: Westfall, James A., ed. FIA national assessment of data quality for forest health indicators. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-53. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Service. p. 40-47.

Description: Lichens are very responsive to environmental stressors in forests, including changes in forest structure, air quality, and climate. Each lichen species on a plot is an indicator of how lichen communities respond to ecological conditions. Individual lichen species occur erratically and even common species are often absent from plots with suitable habitat. The combined response of all species is a better indicator of ecological conditions than responses of any one or a few lichen species.

Keywords: lichen, measurement error, classification error, quality assurance, forest inventory

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Citation

Patterson, Paul L.; Will-Wolf, Susan; Trest, Marie T.  2009.  Lichen indicator [Section 4].   In: Westfall, James A., ed. FIA national assessment of data quality for forest health indicators. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-53. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Service. p. 40-47..