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
31
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
85
%
Field Cover
0.5
%
Nonvascular Cover
50
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Sampling of this densely vegetated cove was made possible by utilizing a long, narrow plot configuration in a bouldery swale where Rhododendron maximum stems were less thick than elsewhere. Large individuals of Pinus strobus (overhanging the plot) and Tsuga canadensis (dead or dying) were scattered among a younger cohort of mesophytic hardwoods, primarily Liriodendron tulipifera and Betula lenta. Considerable Tsuga regeneration was also present but considerably impacted by adelgids. The ground was dominated by moss- and litter-covered boulders, and herb cover was negligible. For trees partly or wholly defoliated by gypsy moths, cover was estimated as if the trees were fully leafed out.
