Open-canopied jack pine and jack spruce stands, in which reindeer lichens comprise a significant component of the ground cover, occur on dry, nutrient-poor sites throughout northwestern Ontario. These lichen woodlands are predominantly fire produced. With the suppression of forest fire and the continued northward movement of logging activity in northwestern Ontario, timber harvest is replacing fire as the most prevalent cause of large- scale disturbance in the lichen rich forests of the region. Although the effects of forest fire on reindeer lichens and patterns of terrestrial lichen succession are well-documented, little is known about how timber harvest affects reindeer lichens or about post-harvest reindeer lichen regeneration. This study will examine changes in biomass, percent cover, species composition, and growth rates of reindeer lichens that survive timber harvest in lichen woodlands and those that colonize harvested sites on two soil types in several regions of northwestern Ontario. Sampling will cover five time-since- disturbance classes for different sites. Data will be statistically analyzed for differences in biomass, percent cover, growth rates and species compositions of reindeer lichens on sites of various age classes, disturbance types, and soil types. Results of this research will provide an increased understanding of the rate at which reindeer lichens survive timber harvest, the rate of recovery of lichen biomass on harvested sites, and the roles of lichens that survive and colonize harvested sites in post-harvest recovery. The effect of timber harvest on lichen abundance is significant because of the importance of reindeer lichens to woodland caribou. Woodland caribou winter in lichen woodlands and feed on the reindeer lichens. Destruction of habitat and the associated decrease in reindeer lichen availability has been proposed as a cause of the decline in caribou numbers. The findings from this study will elucidate some of the processes in reindeer lichen recovery following fire and harvest, and they will inform management policy of woodland caribou for whom reindeer lichen are the primary winter fodder.
