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
36
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
7
%
Field Cover
70
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Vegetation in this plot is a beautiful, medium-aged mixed oak - tulip-polar forest on the lower slope of Powell Mountain above Lovelady Creek. Impressively tall Quercus montana, Quercus rubra, and Liriodendron tulipifera share dominance of the overstory, while somewhat smaller Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and Carya glabra are present in a sub-canopy layer. The lower understory includes Acer pensylvanicum, Tsuga canadensis, Magnolia fraseri, M. tripetala, Cornus florida, Fagus grandifolia, Rhododendron calendulaceum, and other species. The herb layer is fairly lush with ferns (Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides) and scattered low-cover forbs. The conspicuous absence of any oak recruitment, despite oak canopy dominance, is a good indication that this stand is gradually changing from a mixed oak to mixed mesophytic composition in the absence of fire or other disturbances.