Using Lichens and Bryophytes to Evaluate the Effects of Silvicultural Practices in Tasmanian Wet Eucalypt Forest

Abstract

A silvicultural system trial was conducted in wet Eucalyptus obliqua-dominated forest in Tasmania, Australia to examine the impact of different logging and regeneration techniques on lichens and bryophytes, which are identified as potential ecological indicators. A total of 144 bryophytes and 134 lichens were recorded. Smooth-barked understorey trees represent the richest habitat, but all of the habitats support at least some 'specialists' (species that show preference for or confined to a single substrate). Bryophytes include a large proportion of 'generalists' (species that occur across a wide range of substrates), whereas many of the lichens are 'specialists'. The 'specialist' species are the ones that are likely to pose the greatest challenges for forest management, because their survival depends primarily on the maintenance of their preferred habitat.