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
19
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
45
%
Field Cover
45
%
Nonvascular Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot was located on the steep, upper southeast slope of Shenandoah Mountain, just below the crest. Vegetation is a very stunted and open oak-hickory forest with few short shrubs and a prominent component of graminoids in the herb layer. The largest trees are chestnut oaks, which dominates the canopy, but red hickory recruitment overwhelmingly dominates the understory. The presence of sugar maple in the understory, despite the dry exposed site, is also noteworthy. This type of oak-hickory forest appears to be a consistent feature of the upper dip-slope flanks of Shenandoah Mountain and other Ridge and Valley strike ridges where reddish, shaley rocks are at the surface. Although many of the crests of these mountains were subject to livestock grazing in the past, the relationship between past land-use history and the present, savanna-like appearance of these forests is uncertain. It is possible that the formerly more open crests have been able to regenerate relatively dense forests on their stable soils while the continually erosive nature of dip slopes on shale has retarded the development of lower woody strata.
0-1 cm: leaf litter
1-2 cm: fine roots, humus grading to silt loam
2+ cm: reddish-brown silt loam with abundant small channery
Disturbance Data:
Disturbance Type
Disturbance Intensity
Disturbance Comment
unknown
Old blowdowns (well rotted) in plot. Very minor exotics. Heavy white-tailed deer herbivory on Solidago spp., Aureolaria laevigata, Uvularia perfoliata, etc. Gypsy moth egg cases present on oaks, but no foliar damage observed.