Intensive 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
31
m
Field Height
3
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
20
%
Field Cover
10
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The vegetation of this stand is atypical of that which prevails at Pinnacle NAP. Absent or mostly absent are nearly all the calciphiles characteristic of the xeric end of the moisture gradient on this landscape: Quercus muehlenbergii, Frangula caroliniana, Juniperus virginiana, etc. Here local parent material appears to be primarily chert, rather than dolomite, and consequently soils are more silty and acidic, with a substantially lower organic matter content. Quercus alba and Q. velutina co-dominate the overstory, and a low, interrupted subcanopy contains chiefly Acer saccharum. Except for scattered Acer saplings, the shrub layer is very sparse. The ground layer is equally sparse, and cover of tree seedlings exceeds that of herbs. Downslope on a spur ridge Corylus attains unusually high cover. Stand contains dead Carpinus caroliniana and numerous snags of Robinia pseudoacacia. Oxydendrum arboreum located just outside plot. Aspect is variable within plot; portion of module 1 has NW aspect, while the top of a draw in module 5 varies from NW to SSW.
