**5. Conclusions**

The vitality and growth of *L. pulmonaria* in relation to forest management were tested in view of possible conservation strategies of this sensitive and threatened species in Mediterranean oak forests. Comparing transplants in logged and unlogged stands, the results pinpointed a lower growth of *L. pulmonaria* in the logged stand with respect to the unlogged stand, with non-meristematic fragments being more sensitive to the effects of forest management. It is suggested that a conservation-oriented management should be tailored at the habitat-level and, especially, at the tree-level. The probability of

survival may vary during the life cycle of the lichen, with meristematic fragments having more chance under suitable microclimatic conditions after logging.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, E.B., R.B., G.B., L.D.N., Z.F., L.F., P.G., S.R., C.V., L.P.; methodology, E.B., R.B., G.B., L.D.N., Z.F., L.F., P.G., S.R., C.V., L.P.; investigation, data curation, validation and analysis E.B., R.B., G.B., L.D.N., Z.F., L.F., P.G., S.R., C.V., L.P.; writing—original draft preparation, E.B., R.B., G.B., Z.F., L.F., P.G., S.R., L.P.; writing—review and editing, E.B., R.B., G.B., Z.F., L.F., P.G., J.N., S.R., L.P.; supervision, L.P. This article is part of the project "*E*ff*ects of forest management on threatened macrolichens*" developed by the Working Group for Ecology of the Italian Lichen Society, coordinator L.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** We are grateful to *Associazione Culturale di Murlo* (www.murlocultura.com) for hosting the meeting of the Working Group for Ecology of the Italian Lichen Society held in Murlo (Siena), 10–12 February 2020.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
