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
400
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
33
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
8
m
Tree Cover
85
%
Shrub Cover
35
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot was positioned in a swale in the Potomac River floodplain, ca. 0.1 mi. NNE of the Visitor Center at Riverbend Park. A long, narrow (10 X 40 m) configuration was used to maintain environmental and compositional homogeneity. The swale receives frequent, shallow flooding and is forested in a mixed stand of Acer saccharinum, Ulmus americana, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Platanus occidentalis, with occasional Populus deltoides (outside the plot) also present. Acer negundo is the dominant understory tree. The lowest part of the swale is relatively open and free of woody plants, supporting a dense, late-season herbaceous flora of Boehmeria cylindrica, Impatiens capensis, Laportea canadensis, Pilea pumila and other forbs.