An Annotated List of Lichens and Allied Fungi in Oregon's Opal Creek Wilderness and Adjacent Areas: Pre-Fire Baseline

Abstract

In 2020 the Beachie Creek Fire burned a large, forested area in the northern Oregon Cascade Range that included public and private land and much of the Opal Creek Wilderness. We compiled a pre-fire baseline data set from various sources of the lichens and allied fungi known to occur before the fire within the fire perimeter. These data are presented as an annotated species list documenting two hundred and eighty-three species. Euopsis pulvinata, Lepraria elobata, Miriquidica instrata, Plectocarpon nephromeum, Porpidia flavicunda, and Rhizocarpon distinctum are reported as new for Oregon based on an online search of herbarium records and relevant literature. Near the wilderness area, where populations of listed rare species are known, their occurrences are mapped against a fire severity gradient. Drone-generated images of selected locations before and after the fire are included to help gauge the fire effects on lichen communities. Increased fire activity in the area is potentially causing landscape-level changes in biodiversity, and the data we present represent a historical baseline for future analyses of the effects of the Beachie Creek fire on lichen diversity.