A rare lichen has been transplanted by hand after the Lake District tree it was living in blew over. Lungwort – Lobaria pulmonaria – used to be widespread in England but is now found in only a few places due to air pollution and habitat loss. The oak in Borrowdale Valley, which is between 200 and 300 years old, is believed to have held one of the largest communities in the country. The lichen has been moved to other trees in in a bid to create a new home. The oak blew down in a storm earlier this year, and ecologists were concerned that if it began to rot, the lichen would die. Several veteran oaks, ash, sycamore and hazel trees were then identified as suitable receptors for it. The National Trust was involved in the operation, which involved removing a large patch of lungwort and reattaching it to the new tree…