The R6 Lichens HomePage

Alectoria sarmentosa (above), abundant in forested mountains of the Pacific

Northwest, reflects the region's generally good air quality.

Photo © Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff

Air Quality Biomonitoring Program on National Forests of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington

Beginning in 1993 and 1994, managers of the Willamette, Siuslaw, Deschutes, Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area pooled resources to develop a unified approach for biomonitoring air quality using non-vascular plants. They wanted information which would be comparable across Forest boundaries and interface with other Forest, regional and national databases. The primary objectives of the program are to help Forests meet federal and agency responsibilities for the detection and description of air pollution impacts and the protection of Forest air resources. Secondary objectives are to improve our understanding of the ecological roles of non-vascular plants and to develop their potential as indicators of forest health, stability and biodiversity.

SUMMARY OF APPROACH

The methodology and field crew training follow the national Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program/ Forest Health Monitoring (EMAP/FHM) protocol for the lichen indicator section (McCune 1993) and produce data compatible with and comparable to this database. (EMAP/FHM is a long term national program jointly sponsored by the USFS and the EPA to monitor the health and condition of U.S. forests.) Plots are located on the USFS Forest Inventory Assessment grid system used for Current Vegetation Surveys, permanently marked in the field and entered in the GIS system of each Forest. Lichen inventory data are added to this database. Forests choose priority areas for monitoring and intensity of sampling level. The default monitoring area/intensity is the entire Forest on a 3.7 mile square grid. One-quarter of forested plots are monitored each year.

Each summer, specially trained field crews collect target lichens and mosses for tissue analysis at all plots. Concentrations of 27 elements are measured for approximately 10 species region-wide. The field teams also perform a complete survey of epiphytic macrolichens at each plot, including ocular abundance estimates. The methodology emphasizes quality control and minimizes specialized knowledge required by field personnel. The program coordinator spot checks crews twice during the summer for quality control, inspects and aids sample preparation for tissue analysis, and verifies identities of lichens collected in the field. Forests share a common database from which statistical analyses are performed either by the coordinator or other Forest personnel. Reports are generated annually whichsummarize trends in, and current status of, air quality.

In an augmented plan, crustose and non-epiphytic macrolichens are also collected to inventory and establish habitat requirements of these less well known species and determine their ecological relationships within the forest community. Other possible supplements to the basic plan include expanded tissue analysis for elements of local, but not Forest-wide or regional concern, more intensive sampling in problem areas, and/or the addition of transects to answer specific questions regarding point sources. Photo documentation, growth studies, fumigations, transplants, or more quantitative measurements of lichen abundance are other approaches which are developed as needed.

 

Questions or comments? Send mail to Linda Geiser, program coordinator and lichen specialist

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