[Original Russian text published in Ekologiya, 2022, No. 6, pp. 421–429] The dynamics of the species composition of mosses and lichens on the dead wood of fir and spruce in the southern taiga forests of the Middle Urals after the almost complete cessation of emissions from the Middle Urals copper smelter (Revda, Sverdlovsk region) was studied. Compared to the period of high emissions (1993–1994), the number of moss species in the immediate vicinity of the plant (1–2 km) increased from 1 to 27 by 2019, and the number of lichen species increased from 1 to 30. Nevertheless, the species richness of mosses and lichens remains reduced compared to that of the background territory, and the species composition differed significantly: many species typical for the background territory were absent, and species specific to the impaired territory were present. In polluted habitats, the proportion of species with predominantly sexual reproduction was higher. Keywords: sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, mosses, lichens, epixylous communities, natural recovery, dynamics, recolonization, reproductive strategies, Middle Urals.