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
37
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
60
%
Field Cover
80
%
Nonvascular Cover
2
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This site is a lower gentle slope adjacent to railroad and North Fork Clinch River, where it passes through a deep gap in Powell Mountain. Fallen logs covered by bryophytes are common at the downslope end of the plot. Underlying rocks are bouldery colluvium of Silurian sandstones, and soil is moderately calcareous. The vegetation is an uneven-aged forest dominated mostly by medium-diameter Liriodendron tulipifera and Acer saccharum. However, a huge Fagus grandifolia (100 cm DBH) contributes significant cover at the lower, NW end of the plot. Acer saccharum, Aesculus flava, Magnolia fraseri, and M. tripetala are prevalent in the small tree layers; Lindera benzoin dominates the shrub layer. The herb layer is dense and lush with Laportea canadensis and other nutrient-demanding species.