An annotated list of lichens and allied fungi in Oregon’s Opal Creek Wilderness and adjacent areas: pre-fire baseline
- Author:
- Villella J., Calabria L.M., McCune B., Miller J.E.D., Sharrett S.T. & Restrepo A.
- Year:
- 2023
- Journal:
- Evansia
- Pages:
- 40(1): 15–36
- Url:
In 2020 the Beachie Creek Fire burned a large, forested area in the northern Oregon
Cascade Range that included public and private land and much of the Opal Creek
Wilderness. We compiled a pre-fire baseline data set from various sources of the lichens and
allied fungi known to occur before the fire within the fire perimeter. These data are presented
as an annotated species list documenting two hundred and eighty-three species. Euopsis
pulvinata, Lepraria elobata, Miriquidica instrata, Plectocarpon nephromeum, Porpidia
flavicunda, and Rhizocarpon distinctum are reported as new for Oregon based on an online
search of herbarium records and relevant literature. Near the wilderness area, where
populations of listed rare species are known, their occurrences are mapped against a fire
severity gradient. Drone-generated images of selected locations before and after the fire are
included to help gauge the fire effects on lichen communities. Increased fire activity in the
area is potentially causing landscape-level changes in biodiversity, and the data we present
represent a historical baseline for future analyses of the effects of the Beachie Creek fire on
lichen diversity.
Key words: Fire severity, Willamette National Forest, megafire, climate change, species inventory.
- Id:
- 35736
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Wednesday, 16 August 2023 17:58