Ecological Benefits

• The existence of mosses and lichen play a major role in the structural stability of mature soils because they can bind soil particles together with rhizines/rhizoids, which are root-like structures that mosses and lichen use to attach themselves to areas. This keeps wind from eroding away nutrient-rich soil.
  
  

Fire

• Some species of lichen and moss, such as reindeer lichen and mountain fern moss, lose moisture quickly when humidity levels change and they tend to provide fuel for forest fires, allowing them to spread more rapidly. Mats of moss create flammable pathways along which fires spread, according to the 2006 Nature Conservancy of Canada study "Fire Effects on Selected Bryophytes, Lichens and Herbs in the Garry Oaks Environment." Most fires kill these lichens and mosses as well as the top growth of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees, depending on the strength of the fire and how long it burns.
  
  

Fire Recovery

• With mats of moss and lichens gone in the immediate aftermath of a fire, grasses, herbaceous plants and small shrubs move in to fill area left by moss and lichen, particular if the forest canopy was damaged. U.S. and Canadian studies in the aftermath of forest fires showed that herbaceous plants with roots and rhizomes underground grew back quickly after fires, becoming the dominant plants in the area for five to 10 years until smaller, than larger tree species grew in to once again enclose the canopy.
  
  

Regrowth of Moss and Lichens

• Since lichens and mosses do not have underground root systems, fire will kill most species. The lichen and moss regrow by sending windblown fragments to the prior burn areas. The lichen regrow slowly and usually not until other plants have grown up enough to provide shade, but they can reestablish themselves as long as there's not another fire or heavy grazing. Moss and lichen recovery can take decades, so destroying these organisms can have long-term negative implications for the structural stability of soil.