A new to science lichen species was discovered on Coronation Island wilderness. It has been named Sticta torii, after the well-known lichenologist from Norway Tør Tønsberg. Dr. Tønsberg is not a stranger to the Tongass, and he occasionally visits our forest in search of lichens. 
<p>This lichen was collected by forest ecologist Karen Dillman while working on Coronation island, installing air quality monitoring plots. It has not yet been found in any other location in Alaska. It is also known from one location in Canada, near Vancouver, and in coastal Oregon. It is very small, but can be easily distinguished from the others in its genus. Molecular analysis helped determine its uniqueness as a species. 
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Lichens are a species-rich group on the Tongass, with nearly 1000 species in all terrestrial habitats from sea shore to alpine.
United States Forest Service
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