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
24
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
35
%
Field Cover
55
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
A typical, second- or third-growth, medium-age Piedmont oak/heath stand on a gentle upland with dry, infertile soil. Quercus montana is the leading dominant, but several other oaks (Q. coccinea, Q. alba, Q. stellata, Q. velutina) are present. Large clones of Gaylussacia baccata form a low shrub layer. Basal scars on older oaks in this stand are probably scars from historical fires, although there is little evidence of fire during the past few decades. The fire-intolerant Acer rubrum is fairly abundant in the understory, suggesting fire exclusion, but there is decent recruitment of Quercus montana in younger age classes because of downfall gaps and past logging disturbances.