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
30
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
5
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
40
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Reddish shaley rocks at the southwest end of Cove Mountain support dry but diverse oak-hickory vegetation that contrasts sharply with the acidic oak/heath forests and pine-oak/heath woodlands that cover much of this ridge and its spurs east of Trout Creek. The plot is representative of these forests on very stony slopes along the Appalachian Trail near the north entrance to Millers Cove. The overstory in this area is dominated by variable mixtures of Quercus alba, Q. montana, Quercus rubra, and Carya glabra, with Ostrya virginiana and Acer rubrum most abundant in a very open and patchy understory. Shrubs are nearly absent from this area, and the patchy herb layer is composed mostly of graminoids, e.g. Carex pensylvanica, Danthonia spicata, Dichanthelium boscii, etc. Quercus montana is somewhat under-represented in the plot; large individuals of this species are prevalent upslope, along with dominance patches of the forbs Ageratina altissima and Pycnanthemum incanum. To some extent, heavy herbivory by deer has influenced the composition and individual abundance of herbaceous plants.
