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Lichen elemental indicators for air pollution in Eastern United States forests; a pilot study in the upper Midwest

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Five lichen species were evaluated as element-content pollution bioindicators for a pilot study in Wisconsin and adjacent U.S. states, using data for 20 elements. Goodquality elemental data for aluminum, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, nitrogen, and sulfur—mostly from nonspecialist U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis staff collections with extensively documented protocols—clearly indicated a site pollution load in the project area. The percentage of nearby land in forest was the strongest predictor for sample collection at study sites of the two most frequent species; such knowledge facilitates improved broad applications. Improved protocols and three lichen species were recommended for implementation as elemental bioindicators in the north-central United States; species were also recommended for three other Eastern U.S. regions. The three reccomended species are Evernia mesomorpha Nyl.; Flavoparmelia caperata (L.) Hale, and the combined Physcia aipolia (Ehrh. ex Humb.) Fürnr var. aipolia and P. stellaris (L.) Nyl.

Keywords

Air pollution, element, forest health, land cover, indicator, lichen, metals, nitrogen, sulfur.

Citation

Will-Wolf, Susan; Jovan, Sarah; Amacher, Michael C.; Patterson, Paul L. 2020. Lichen elemental indicators for air pollution in Eastern United States forests; a pilot study in the upper Midwest. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-985. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 178 p.
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/59790