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
28
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot is located in a fairly extensive oak-hickory "flatwoods." In the vicinity of the plot location, the landscape slopes slightly toward the headwaters of a small, sluggish drain. DOF has aged this stand at 145 years, which probably represents the age of the oldest white oaks and hickories. However, the stand was selectively thinned decades ago. The stand composition changes from mixed oaks and hickories to dominance by Carya glabra, and evidence of a seasonally perched water table (standing water in old road ruts and depressions) increases. Sticky clay soils suggest the presence of a subsoil hardpan, causing the habitat to alternate between waterlogged during wet periods and droughty during dry periods.