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
32
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
25
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
80
%
Field Cover
10
%
Nonvascular Cover
10
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot captures a second-growth mesophytic forest, perhaps 60-70 years old, on a mesic stream terrace in a deep, narrow cove. A linear 10 x 40 m quadrat was used to facilitate access along the edge of a trail and make navigation and sampling easier in the very dense understory. A rocky stream runs across NE corner of plot. The stand co-dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolium, and Acer rubrum, with a dense shrub layer dominated by Rhododendron maximum. Herbaceous species are mostly confined to openings in the Rhododenron and on the stream bank. Downstream, in slighly wetter and more sheltered cove-bottom microhabitats, Betula alleghaniensis and Magnolia fraseri become characteristic components. Similar forests also occupy the lower slopes in the cove.
