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Clearcutting Takes 85 Years to Restore Undergrowth

8/16/2026

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Story summary
  • Ellen Macdonald found lichens, mosses and liverworts need 85 years to return after clearcutting.
  • Her review showed birch and aspen recover within 25 years, while conifers lag and some understory species stay unrecovered after a century.
  • Michael Melkonian reported Jexmühle wetlands contain only a handful of desmid algae.
  • Viktoria Wagner called the loss “dark diversity,” noted that over 5,000 algal strains were saved, and urged restoration.