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
31
m
Shrub Height
3
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
8
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
10
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Mixed hardwood-hemlock-white pine stand on a sheltered, mesic toe slope along the North River. The substrate is highly variable, with some areas 100% covered by large boulders and others with relatively deep, well-developed soils. Total hemlock cover in this stand was formerly about 75%; following adelgid outbreaks, a former hemlock shrub/sapling layer is now dead, and most large hemlocks are about 75% defoliated. Increased forest-floor illumination may have stimulated a recent increase in herb cover.