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- Title
The Effects of Prescribed Burning on Wet Prairie Lichen Communities.
- Authors
Holt, Emily A.; Severns, Paul M.
- Abstract
The Willamette Valley wet prairie is a rare grassland ecosystem located in western Oregon. Fern Ridge Research Natural Area protects approximately one quarter of this unique ecosystem on public lands. Currently, the Research Natural Area (RNA) is burned to minimize woody plant encroachment and to optimize the response of rare vascular plant species. The rarity of the wet prairie habitat and the anomalous occurrence of the boreal-arctic lichen, Cladina mills (Sandst.) Hustich, has sparked concern about lichen response to fire in this habitat. We sampled terricolous wet prairie lichen communities in burned and unburned habitats to quantify the potential effects of fire on lichens. We found evidence that burning reduced overall lichen abundance and diversity in the wet prairie. Prescribed burning may benefit vascular plants, but is harmful to terricolous lichen communities. The current practice of maintaining unburned refuges for C. mills conserves all aspects of the wet prairie lichen community by providing a source for colonizing individuals and preserves the unique wet prairie populations of C. mills.
- Subjects
WILLAMETTE River Valley (Or.); LICHENS; PRAIRIE ecology; WETLANDS; EFFECT of fires on plants; PLANT populations; GRASSLANDS
- Publication
Natural Areas Journal, 2005, Vol 25, Issue 2, p130
- ISSN
0885-8608
- Publication type
Article