Lobaria pulmonaria in the southwestern Baltic area

Lungwort lichen, Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm., was surveyed in the southwestern
Baltic Area in 2016–2018. At each of the localities, the habitat ecology and lichen viability were investigated. A substantial decline was noted, particularly in Skåne. The commonest habitats for L. pulmonaria in southernmost Sweden are lime-maple and species-poor, oligotrophic beech forests, and the commonest substrates were trunks of beech and maple, followed by oak. Lobaria pulmonaria often survived on trees growing on rocky boulder-rich, meso- to oligotrophic soils in the upper part of steep slopes. Localities with a locally cool climate and a stable environment in terms of light, moisture and temperature, with only a minor influence of air pollution, agriculture and forestry practices are preferred. Current and historical distributions in Denmark, northern Germany, northwestern Poland and nemoral parts of Skåne, Blekinge, southwesternmost Småland and southern Öland are presented.