Releve Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/nh_plotform_instructions.pdf
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Stem Observation Area
1000
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
35
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
75
%
Shrub Cover
65
%
Field Cover
70
%
Nonvascular Cover
2
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Additional Habitat/Vegetation Information: Fertile, mesic NE-facing slope with outcrops and debris of red Triassic siltstone. In its erosive phases, this rock produces soils with moderate to high calcium content, which is the case on this sheltered lower slope. The vegetation constitutes an outstanding example of mixed mesophytic forest, with a mixed canopy of Liriodendron tulipifera, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Aesculus flava, Carya cordiformis, and other trees over a lush herb flora of nutrient-demanding species. Jeffersonia diphylla, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Cystopteris protrusa, Cimicifuga racemosa, and Dicentra cucullaria are among the herbaceous patch-dominants, which vary greatly over small spatial scales.. A 20 x 50 m releve was sampled to better capture the spatial distribution and cover of both trees and herbaceous plants. Most other stands of this vegetation at the site were more disturbed by past cutting and exotic weeds.