Conservation
Given their ecological importance and high diversity, epiphytic lichens and bryophytes are increasingly recognized as worthy of conservation. Reduced impact logging (Romero 1999), the establishment of forest reserves, and certain silvicultural practices have great potential to conserve epiphytic lichens and bryophytes in managed forest landscapes. Maintaining propagule sources in and around cutting units is one of the most effective ways to facilitate epiphyte colonization of regenerating forests because many species are dispersal-limited (Dettki et al. 2000; Sillett et al. 2000a, b) but can find suitable habitats in young forests (Sillett and McCune 1998; Hilmo 2002). Reducing the size of cutting units promotes dispersal by epiphytes from surrounding forests, and retaining large, live trees inside cutting units promotes dispersal by epiphytes surviving on retained trees (Neitlich and McCune 1997; Peck and McCune 1997; Hazell and Gustafsson 1999; Sillett and Goslin 1999; Rosso et al. 2000; Peterson and McCune 2001).