Old deciduous trees have become scarce all over Europe, both in forests and wooded grasslands. Groups of species associated to these trees are today restricted to small fragments in the modern landscape where they have trouble surviving because the dispersal possibilities are reduced.

Lichens confined to old oaks (Quercus robur) are one such group of species. Today, one of the most important oak areas in Europe is situated in southeastern Sweden.

Oaks offer a constantly changing environment and a good example of that is the bark going from being smooth on young trees to rough with deep fissures on old. This changes the suitability for different lichen species over time.

Aim: Describe the tree size preferences of six lichens species growing on oak. And investigate the effects of other environmental factors: Site quality, light condition, inclination and fissures depth.

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