##  [Forest Structure and Site Conditions of Boreal Felt Lichen (Erioderma pedicallatum) Habitat in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada](/resource/forest-structure-and-site-conditions-boreal-felt-lichen-erioderma-pedicallatum-habitat) 

Organization

[Government of Nova Scotia](/organization/government-nova-scotia)

[Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute](/organization/mersey-tobeatic-research-institute)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Terrance Power

Robert Cameron

Thomas Neily

Brad Toms

 

 

Original Authors

Terrance Power

Robert Cameron

Thomas Neily

Brad Toms

 

 

Contacts

[Terrance Power](/contact/terrance-power)

 

 

Resource Date:

April

2018

 

 

*This resource is available on an external database and may require a paid subscription to access it. It is included on the CCLM to support our goal of capturing and sharing the breadth of all available knowledge pertaining to Boreal Caribou, Wetlands, and Land Management.*

Boreal felt lichen \[*Erioderma pedicellatum* (Hue) P.M. Jorg. (1972)\] occurs on mainland Nova Scotia as well as Cape Breton, growing almost entirely on balsam fir \[*Abies balsamea* (L.) Mill.\] in wet coastal forests. A Geographical Information System (GIS) based predictive model for *E. pedicellatum* habitat in Nova Scotia has facilitated surveys and guided conservation. We used this model to examine the relationship between presence of *E. pedicellatum* and forest structure (tree DBH, height, age, and crown closure, inter-tree distance, basal area of live and dead trees, and percent cover of shrubs, herbs, *Sphagnum* spp., and other mosses), and site conditions (topographic position, slope, aspect, and drainage) as well as the presence of lichen indicator species. *Erioderma pedicellatum* sites had significantly older trees, higher density of live trees, lower crown closure, lower basal area of live *Picea mariana* (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb., lower basal area of live trees, higher basal area of dead trees, higher *Sphagnum* spp. cover, and lower shrub cover than unoccupied habitat. *Erioderma pedicellatum* sites were significantly less well drained and occurred on steeper slopes with a north or east aspect. Four macrolichens (*Coccocarpia palmicola*, *Platismatia norvegica*, *Lobaria scrobiculata*, and *Sphaerophorus globosus*) occurred at a significantly higher frequency at *E. pedicellatum* sites.