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
38
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
8
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
70
%
Field Cover
45
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot is located in the upper part of a short ravine cutting through the bluffs along the Potomac River. The habitat is a moderate, NW-facing mesic slope. The forest vegetation is a nice example of a "basic mesic forest," with mixed overstory, Asimina triloba and Lindera benzoin shrub layer, and an herb layer than contains many nutrient-demanding spring ephemerals. Several large Quercus rubra dominate the tree canopy, with much smaller Carya cordiformis, Fraxinus americana, Betula lenta, Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus muhlenbergii, and Tilia americana associated. Although it is abundant nearby, no Liriodendron tulipifera occurs in or adjacent to the plot. Clones of Podophyllum peltatum dominated the vernal herbaceous aspect.