Goward, T. and J. Campbell. Arboreal hair lichens in a young, mid-elevation conifer stand, with implications for the management of mountain caribou. The Bryologist. 108:427-434.
Kauffman, G. D. 1979. The discovery of penicillin: Twentieth century wonder drug. Journal of Chemical Education. 56: 454-455.
Radies, D., Coxson, D., Johnson, C. and K. Konwicki. 2009. Predicting canopy macrolichen diversity and abundance within old-growth inland temperate rainforests. Forest Ecology and Management. 259:86-97.
Link to information on mountain caribou and lichens: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.tru.ca/stable/pdfplus/20061123.pdf?acceptTC=true
Link to information on penicillin:
Link to information on canopy macrolichens:
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| Image From: http://www.endangeredecosystems.org/images/oldgrowth.jpg |
Approximately 27% of British Columbia is covered in old-growth forests, which comprise about 43% of all forested area in the province (MacKinnon 1998). Old-growth forests can be recognized as middle to late seral stages. At both of these stages of forest development, soil structure is stabilized and water flow control is evident. Interior species such as the spotted owl (Strix Occidontalis), squirrels (Spermophilus spp.), hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), bears (Ursus spp.) and the endangered mountain ecotype of the woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) rely strongly on old-growth habitat structure (Rose 2003).
Conservation practices tend to focus on the animal kingdom and how to manage a particular vertebrate or invertebrate species. The non-animal components of the terrestrial biotic world tend to get pushed aside. It seems incredibly useful to understand the role of these plant, fungi, or lichen taxa as their presence or absence can strongly affect that of other species. Some lichens and rare nonvascular plants are extremely dependent on old-growth forests (MacKinnon, 1998). In old-growth cedar-hemlock forests of British Columbia there is a high diversity of epiphytic macrolichens and bryophytes (Gavin 2009). Researchers have speculated that conifer old-growth forests support roughly 30 cyanolichen species which makes this ecosystem one of the richest collections of epiphytic cyanolichens in the entire world (Radies 2009). Most of these species are absent from younger stands.
Speaking of lichens let’s just take a short swerve off the focus of valuing old-growth forests. I came across a paper about arboreal hair lichens in mid-successional, mid-elevation forests and their significance in caribou diet. This article is interesting not only because it links endangered species to old-growth forest to conservation, but also because Trevor Goward is the co-author. Trevor Goward is partly to thank for the donation of the land where TRU Wells Gray Research Station is situated.
Goward and his research partner’s study results showed that all hair lichen species of importance to the mountain caribou were present only in forests 60 years or older. Interestingly, hair lichen biomass was greater in open stands than closed stands. This is positive because it means species of lichen important to endangered caribou will potentially benefit from stand thinning (Goward and Campbell 2005). Perhaps selective logging is the answer to the debate over old-growth forest management. This study suggests by defoliating portions of the middle canopy (or potentially selectively removing some old-growth trees), conservation of mountain caribou might be able to shake hands with the timber industry.
In addition to preserving the living organisms that thrive in them, old-growth forests are important in other ways. The structure of such forests prevents landslides, soil erosion, and floods. Old-growth forests also provide clean water for agriculture, enrich the soil, and prevent the greenhouse effect (Rose 2003). Also, this ecosystem can be valued from an aesthetic or recreational standpoint. Activities such as hiking, bird watching, backpacking, camping, hunting, fishing, among other outdoor experiences are limited without old-growth forests. The biodiversity and overall appearance of these forests contributes to the former activities being so enjoyable. If old-growth forests continue to be destroyed as they are today, the aesthetic beauty will be gone. We may want to ask ourselves if we would trade the beauty of wild animals and magnificent trees for a paper cup in which we only use for a couple hours.
The components of old-growth forests - as opposed to the ecosystem as a whole - can be used as tools for research and increasing knowledge. Humans have been utilizing the natural world for centuries. Our understanding of various species or habitats has been of huge importance in obtaining food, building homes, healing injuries, and curing diseases. The accidental discovery of a species of mould by Sir Alexander Flemming in 1928, turned out to be an extremely useful antibiotic in the realm of science (Kauffman 1979). This antibiotic, known as penicillin, has saved many human lives. If the habitat in which this mould lived was destroyed before it was discovered we may have been unable to prevent deadly bacterial infections. The same may be true of old-growth forests. Without enough time to research this type of ecosystem, we may be missing out on species that might provide the means to cure or prevent diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, diabetes, and cancer.
Arguments over the use of old-growth forests have been on-going for decades. Today, about 125 000 acres of old-growth forest is destroyed annually. It is clearly evident that jobs will be lost if the lumber industry has to decrease the rate of logging. However, these jobs would be ultimately lost if this current rate of destruction continues. Eventually, there will be no timber left for employment opportunities. A simple reforestation plan could not replace forests which have taken thousands of years to develop. Humans find value in old-growth forests and considering the anthropocentric world we live in, conservation of such a habitat is strongly recommended.
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Additional Sources:
Rose, S.K., and D. Chapman. 2003. Timber harvest adjacency economies, hunting, species protection, and old growth value: seeking the dynamic optimum. Ecological Economics. 44:325-344.
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