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
38
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
60
%
Field Cover
45
%
Nonvascular Cover
5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The sampled vegetation is a mature, rich cove forest in a NW-facing ravine. The underlying bedrock is mapped as Shady dolomite, although quartzite/sandstone rubble is prevalent on the ground surface. This site is surrounded by more acidic forests (cf. plot JWNF021), and relatively high soil pH, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and base saturation levels indicates that the cove has downcut close to underlying dolomite. Several large downfalls (blowdowns?) are present in and around the plot. A large white ash and shagbark hickory are located outside the plot boundary. Herbaceous vegetation was showing signs of drought on the date of sampling; a spring revisit would probably add additional early-season species and result in some changes of cover values.