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
18
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
75
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot was placed in a northern red oak-dominated forest on the sloping crest of Kelly Knob ridge above Rocky Gap. This forest occupies a relatively narrow zone along the ridge crest, transitioning to a richer oak-hickory forest on the east slope, and to oak/heath and boulderfield forests on the west. A number of ericaceous shrubs are present in the understory and the herb layer is dominated by ferns unpalatable to deer. The large number of American chestnut sprouts suggests that the this species was important prior to the arrival of the blight nearly 100 years ago.
