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
30
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
25
%
Field Cover
6
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
While all the larger trees sampled in 2001 are still present, many saplings and small trees of the original plot have died. Additionally, many stems of mountain laurel have died back, and this species has been reduced from >10% cover in 2001 to <5% cover in 2014. A comparable decline of Vaccinium pallidum was also recorded. Drought stress, high levels of deer browse, and/or lack of fire are possible contributors to these declines. An increase in plot species richness from 17 to 24 taxa is not significant since the added species are all represented by just one or very few seedlings.
