MORGAN, SARA M. and ROBERT S. EGAN.* Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182-0040. - Lichens of the ponderosa pine forests of Nebraska.
Although thought of as a prairie state, Nebraska retains sizeable
areas of both eastern deciduous and western pine forests. The state
has five main western pine forest regions dominated by Pinus
ponderosa. Three of these forests are naturally occurring - the
northern Niobrara River Valley area of Brown and Cherry counties, the
northwestern Pine Ridge region in Dawes County, and the Wildcat Hills
area of Scotts Bluff County. Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest in
Cherry County and the Halsey Unit of the Nebraska National Forest in
Thomas County were both planted in the early 1900’s. Our lichen
collections from these pine forest areas have revealed numerous new
county records as well as additions to the state’s lichen flora, e.g.
Pseudevernia intensa (Nyl.) Hale and Vulpicida pinastri (Scop.) J.-E.
Mattsson & M.J. Lai. The lichens of the planted pine forests have are
less diverse when compared to the naturally-occurring pine forests,
but a few lichen species are currently known only from these man-made
systems.
Key words: lichen, Nebraska, ponderosa pine forest