The annual rate of lichen decomposition was measured in a mixed, cool temperate rainforest in Puyehue National Park, southern Chile. Five macrolichens, Pseudocyphellaria berberina, P. divutsa, P. glabra, P. nitida and Sticta hypochra, and bamboo leaves (Chusquaea macrostachya) were used as experimental material. Rates of decomposition are high in all lichen species and ranged from k = 0·45 to 2·79. Lichens with hopane triterpenoids {P. divulsa and P. glabra) were more resistant to decomposition. The contribution of these lichens to the nutrient economy of the rainforest ecosystem is highly significant, as they are both abundant in terms of biomass and have a rapid turnover.