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
33
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
40
%
Field Cover
25
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Sample captures a medium-age swamp forest right along the boardwalk near Washington's Ditch in the Great Dismal Swamp. The canopy is dominated by hydric oaks (Quercus laurifolia, Q. michauxii) averaging 45-60 cm DBH. Ilex opaca and Carpinus carolinina predominate in the shrub / small tree layers with a many vines and thickets of Smilax. The herb stratum is a mix of woody species and patches of ferns. The forest, as a whole, has a dense tangle of Smilax vines making navigation through it difficult. Sample was located in an area with less Smilax cover relative to the rest of the swamp. It is also older than most of the surrounding forest, as this area was extensively disturbed by a settlement early in the swamp's history.