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
90
%
Shrub Cover
15
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
25
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
This stand of diverse oak-hickory forest is typical in having little oak recruitment, but unusual in lacking Acer rubrum in the understory. Most of the younger tree recruitment is that of Carya spp., which have increased significantly in density since 2001. Two dominant overstory oaks (Quercus rubra and Quercus montana) of the 2001 sample have blown down, creating large canopy gaps. The remainder of the 2001 canopy, one Liriodendron tulipifera, two Quercus alba, and two Quercus velutina, are still present and have grown well over the past thriteen years. Typical of this community type in the Bull Run Mountains, there has been considerable species turnover, particularly of low-cover hebaceous species, since 2001. While 58 of the original species are still extant, 14 others were not found in 2014, and 20 new species were added. Among the latter were Alliaria petiolata and Rubus phoenicolasius, both potentially highly invasive. Unfortunately, the invasive grass Microstegium vimineum, which had <1% cover in 2001, had 5 to 10% cover in the 2014 resample.
