Land Guardian Justin Hodge says 175 different species of lichens have been found in “Charlie’s Place.” Nineteen of these are new to the province and nine have been listed as species at risk.
Nova Scotia’s official lichen, the blue felt, has been found in central Newfoundland. On Bayfm’s Qalipu Today this week, MUN Researcher Yolanda Wiersma and Land Guardian Justin Hodge spoke about the discovery of 175 different species of lichens in “Charlie’s Place.” Nineteen of these are new to the province and nine have been listed as species at risk.
Hodge says it’s an area about 120 square kilometres located in central between the Northwest and Southwest Gander Rivers. He says it encompasses a lot of old growth forest.
Wiersma says blue felt lichen grows on trees and is a type of fungus lives in close association with algae. She says in her twenty years of doing fieldwork, she’s never seen such a forest anywhere in this province.
Hodge says it’s rare but they are seeing it on aspen which is not a characteristic of this species. He says given the richness of it being found in this area is why they need to know more about it. Hodge says about 20 percent of blue felt lichen in Canada is located in “Charlie’s Place.”
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