A series of sites on reclaimed land in the Coniston-Wahnapitae area, 10 km east of Sudbury, were chosen since there were several years of reclamation activity in a small geographical region. The sites span the years of operation of the land reclamation program and were picked to have similar landscape characteristics of gentle slopes above valley floors and stony substrates. Recently reclaimed sites, 1993, 1994, 1995, were dominated by grasses and legumes with few shrubs or trees except for small planted conifers. 1988, 1983, and 1979 sites have been invaded by a number of herbaceous vascular plants, poplar, birch and willow and have the appearance of an open woodland. Substrates were acid with a pH range from 4.5 - 5.5. For comparative purposes two sites in a logged pine forest (1978) and a burnt forest (1973) were investigated.
At each site three or four transects up to 5 m in length were marked. Along each transect a series of contiguous 20 cm by 24 cm quadrats were placed and percent cover of each lichen species measured. General vegetation characteristics and pH were determined.
The effect of liming and grassing has provided suitable microsites for the invasion of lichens not otherwise present in the Sudbury area. The number of lichen species found approaches the number of vascular species found and if one were to include the bryophytes may exceed the number of vascular species. The
policy of aiming for an open grass sward a11owing for subsequent colonization has been successful in that plant biodiversity is large. It will be interesting to follow further lichen changes over time, especially in reclaimed area where the tree canopy is closing. Many of the observed species are characteristic of open or semi-open areas and may be replaced as the Sudbury reclaimed ecosystems continue to develop.