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
21
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
45
%
Field Cover
80
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot is representative of forest vegetation on the gentler upper slopes and ridge top at the west end of Pearis Mountain north of the headwaters of Sugar Run. Loose rocks at the surface appear to be a whitish sandstone. The stand is a classic high-elevation, northern red oak forest that regenerated following the elimination of American chestnut but now has very poor oak recruitment. Nearly half the current stem density in the plot is contributed by sapling and pole-sized Betula lenta. Some Acer rubrum is also present in the understory. Both species are fire-intolerant, mesophytic species that have become heavily established in oak forests that have not been subject to disturbances in recent decades. The lower woody layers contain several species that are more or less endemic to the southern Appalachians, including Vaccinium erythrocarpum, Vaccinium simulatum, and Rhododendron calendulaceum. The herb layer is characterized by dense clones of Thelypteris noveboracensis and Dennstaedtia punctiloba that cover many hectares in the vicinity of the plot.
