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
800
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
90
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
50
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot was positioned lengthwise along the bottom of a shallow ravine and encompassed a narrow stream bottom proper and toe slopes on both sides. The site supports a mature, relatively diverse mesophytic hardwood forest dominated by large beech up to 75-80 cm DBH. Younger beech regeneration dominates all understory strata. An 800 sq.m. plot was sampled to adequately capture the distribution and diversity of trees. At the Scheier Natural Area, mesophytic forest vegetation is confined to this ravine and grades quickly upslope to drier, more sterile, ericad-rich oak forests. Very small parts of this sample, along the spring-fed stream, might qualify as wetlands and might be very briefly flooded by overland flow during catastrophic rain events; obligate wetland species such as Chelone glabra, Hydrocotyle americana, Cicuta maculata, and Boehmeria cylindrica are confined to this zone.
Profile on toe slope, above the stream bottom:
0-4 cm: leaf litter
4-7 cm: humus / fine root mat
7-8 cm: gray-brown organic-rich loam
8+ cm: yellowish loam
Disturbance Data:
Disturbance Type
Disturbance Intensity
Disturbance Comment
unknown
Minor herbivory damage to forbs; major herbivory damage to Rhododendron periclymenoides, which has been reduced to a low (< 0.5 m) ground cover. Two wind-topped snags (< 20 cm DBH) in plot.