How do I remove moss/lichen from my vinyl fence?

Susan
by Susan
I have a small deck off my upstairs master bedroom. It has a vinyl picket fence around the deck. There are several very tall pine trees of different types adjacent to the house and a few branches of one extends very close to the fence/deck . There is forest on my property abd I live in OR.
The fence is very spotted all over with what looks like small, black lichen or a type of black moss from the surrounding trees near the fence. It makes the fence look very dirty and ugly. These lichen spots are even raised up a bit in many spots. What can I do to remove this stuff that appears to be festering/attaching to the vinyl fence? How can I prevent further growth?