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
17
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
85
%
Field Cover
25
%
Nonvascular Cover
20
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot documents an unusual, high-elevation oak/heath forest on the upper, south-facing slope of Hurricane Mountain. This stand is dominated by species typical of this oak/heath vegetation at lower elevations - e.g., Quercus montana, Q. coccinea, Pinus rigida, Leucothoe recurva, Kalmia latifolia, etc. - but is transitional to higher-elevation red oak forests in the abundance of Quercus rubra and Vaccinium simulatum. In addition, it has unusually diverse woody vegetation and relatively high overall species-richness for an oak/heath stand. At 1305 m (4280 ft), this site is near the upper elevation limit for oak/heath forests in the southern Appalachians. The vegetation is extremely dense and exhibits characteristics of a fire-suppressed forest, although the presence of Pinus rigida in the overstory suggests that the stand burned in the distant past.