Survival and vitality of a macrolichen 14 years after transplantation on aspen trees retained at clearcutting

► Trees are increasingly retained for conservation purposes at clearcutting. ► We transplanted an old-growth lichen to retained aspens on clearcuts and in forest. ► After 14 years survival was higher on clearcut trees than on forest trees. ► Results indicate that to retain aspens is an efficient conservation action. ► Long transplantation-series are necessary to reveal important response patterns.