During consultation procedures between forest owners and the Sámi, data on, e.g., reindeer Lichen biomass on the current site is needed. Hitherto, the existing methods of measuring Lichen cover and biomass has been either objective methods such as the Point Intercept method, which is time consuming, or some sort of subjective visual estimation, which is faster but less accurate. However, both these methods are sensitive to different observers and/or to different inventories. This paper addresses the further development and evaluation of a photographical inventory method that uses colour distribution in images to estimate Lichen biomass. During the autumn of 2011 six different locations, with different grazing pressure and Lichen cover, in Norrbotten county were inventoried using both the Point Intercept method and the photographical method, complemented with collection of biomass samples.

Studies have shown that air pollution, as well as bark fissure depth and sun exposure of a tree can have an effect on Lichen growth as well as abundance of Lichen species. The aim of this study was to find out the relative importance of these factors. 211 oaks in south eastern Sweden were surveyed for presence of 17 Lichen species, as well as the total number of Lichen species. Half of the trees were situated in urban areas and half in the countryside. For each tree the bark fissure depth was measured and the sun exposure of the trunk was estimated.

Horse-hair Lichen Bryoria bicolor is a red-listed Lichen species in the category Vulnerable. It is an oceanic Lichen and it is often found on boulders and cliffs in a semi-open environment with a high humidity in the agricultural landscape. The species can also be found as an epiphyte on trees, mostly in boreal forests in the provinces of Dalarna, Härjedalen and Jämtland. In the agricultural landscape, there has been indications on that B. bicolor show a decline, and this studie aimed at examining the extent and causes of this decline.

Inventories of epiphytic Lichens on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) were conducted at three sites in east central Sweden: along the newly build motorway (Road E4), along the old road (Road 600) and in a reference site, to compare the effects of traffic pollution on Lichen diversities. At each site, species richness, Lichen mean sensitivity value (MK), air quality index of the forest stand/sample plot (LKI) and nitrogen impact value (N) were calculated and it was tested if there was any difference between the sites. Twenty-four species were observed in total, and Parmeliopsis ambigua and Hypogymnia physodes were the most common species at all sites. At Road E4, fewer Lichen species were observed than at the other sites and this might be due to the impact of air pollution. The species richness at Road 600 was similar to that of the reference site, which might be explained by the improved air quality.

Lichens are adapted to bright and sparse forests on oligotrophic ground. Due to a slow growth rate and high light demand Lichens will suffer from competition in eutrophic environments. Therefore, Lichens have disappeared from managed forests where the forest industry has increased the productivity. A reduced abundance of Lichens will affect both biodiversity of the forest and the reindeer winter graze lands. It is important to understand how and for how long fertilization affects the abundance and diversity of Lichens in order to protect Lichen rich ecosystems. We have registered the biomass and number of Lichen species in eight plots (four nitrogen rich and four nitrogen deficient) and compared fertilized Sami settlements with their oligotrophic surroundings in the nature reserves of Tjeggelvas.

Not much is today known about how epiphytic Lichens are effected by fire. A considerable part of the fires in Sweden today are prescribed fires for the purpose of environmental conservation. How these fires affect Lichens is largely unknown. The aim of this study is to find out how epiphytic fruticose and foliose Lichens on Scots pine are affected by fire, and to elucidate the relationship between fire intensity and the survival of Lichens and later re-colonization. The study was performed at three locations just outside Umeå in Västerbotten that were burned 5-7 years earlier. In all locations there were larger groups of surviving Scots pines with varying amount of fire-damage in the crown, which enabled a reconstruction of fire intensity.

Not much is today known about how epiphytic Lichens are effected by fire. A considerable part of the fires in Sweden today are prescribed fires for the purpose of environmental conservation. How these fires affect Lichens is largely unknown. The aim of this study is to find out how epiphytic fruticose and foliose Lichens on Scots pine are affected by fire, and to elucidate the relationship between fire intensity and the survival of Lichens and later re-colonization. The study was performed at three locations just outside Umeå in Västerbotten that were burned 5-7 years earlier. In all locations there were larger groups of surviving Scots pines with varying amount of fire-damage in the crown, which enabled a reconstruction of fire intensity.

This is a study on winter groups, ?siida?, of semi-domesticated mountain-migrating reindeers that move to Lichen pastures in the lowland boreal forests during winter. The aim of the study was to determine reindeer habitat use in their winter ranges in a managed forest landscape. The reindeers use of three different types of forests was determined, 1) 100-130 year old, 2) 20-40 year old forest and 3) clear-cut areas. All sites were dominated by Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, and had the same types of ground vegetation.

Forestry and reindeer husbandry are entitled to use the same land for their operations. For this reason, conflicts occasionally arise between them. Soil scarification is a forestry operation which has a negative effect on the occurrence of reindeer Lichen. Reindeer Lichens are of crucial importance to reindeers and reindeer husbandry, especially in the winter when reindeers primarily feed on different Lichen species (Cladina spp. and Cetraria spp.).

In search of Umbilicaria subglabra In Sweden Umbilicaria subglabra has its only known occurrence in Lybergsgnupens nature reserve in the county of Dalarna where it has been found only once in 1936. It was found on the east-facing rock spur, approximately 650 meters above sea-level. The Lichen is now red-listed as Regionally Extinct (RE) in Sweden. The aim of this study was find U. subglabra.

The aim of this study was to describe preferences of geographic direction of ten, oak-living epiphytic Lichen species and how they responded to sun exposure, nearby bushes and trees, bark fissure depth and circumference. The frequency of every species was recorded in arcs of ten degrees around the tree at a height of 130 to 180 cm above the ground. An estimation of the amount of every species in every arc was also recorded. To analyse how the distribution of the Lichen species responded to the different factors their concentration for every tree was plotted against the four factors. The distribution of Cliostomum corrugatum had a positive response to high sun exposure and a negative response to a thick layer of bushes and trees.

The global biodiversity loss is mainly due to human activities such as an intensification of forestry. Boreal forest ecosystems in Fennoscandia are characterized by disturbances such as forest fires, storms and floods. However, industrial forestry practices suppress forest fires and change the landscape, leading to a loss of habitats and associated species. Particularly Lichen species with slow adaptation abilities and a strong substrate specificity face an extinction debt in boreal forests since their substrates are long-lived but no longer created. In this study the species-substrate relationship of two red-listed forest-fire dependent Lichen species Carbon-icola anthracophila and C.

Biodiversity is essential for human well-being and it is defined as the genetic variation within species and the variety of species and ecosystems. Biodiversity provides several ecosystem services which are necessary for human beings but there are different threats towards the biodiversity. The biodiversity linked to the forest in Sweden are threatened, about 50 % of the red-listed species in Sweden are associated with forests. This is linked to the commercial exploitation of the boreal forest in Sweden which started 200 years ago. The forestry the last 50 years, with clear-cuts, have contributed to a fragmented forest landscape.

Saproxylic Lichens in managed forests have less substrate available than in unmanaged forests due to the shortage of dead wood. However, a suitable substrate for these Lichens could be dead branches on living trees. To this date, there has not been any systematically collected data about theabundance of dead branches on living trees and the Lichens growing on these branches in managed forests. The aim of this study was to see where dead branches were located on living trees of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies, how large the surface area of these branches was and what Lichens grewof wood on these branches. The study was made in Finspång, Sweden, where 11 forest stands of P.sylvestris and P.

Dead wood is important for many species. The amount of coarse dead wood (diameter >10 cm) is much lower in managed forest than in unmanaged forests. Stumps constitute the largest proportion of the volume of coarse dead wood in managed forests. Since stump harvest for biofuel may increase, the amount of dead wood will decrease even more, which may threaten biodiversity. The first aim of this study was to compare the amounts of fine woody debris (FWD, .