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
34
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot is representative of dry, mature forest vegetation occupying a series of short, steep, south- to west-facing bluffs fronting Mount Creek. Past and ongoing sheet-erosion is evident on many of the steeper, convex portions of the bluffs. The forest occupying the bluffs has escaped disturbance for an extended period. Large-diameter Quercus alba is generally dominant, with Quercus rubra, Carya alba, Quercus muhlenbergii, Fagus grandifolia, and Liriodendron tulipifera less frequent associates. In most areas, young Fagus grandifolia is heavily recruiting into the understory, and there is little oak recruitment. The overall vegetation is remarkably species-rich, and the presence of Quercus muhlenbergii, Cercis canadensis, Fraxinus americana, Carya cordiformis, Galearis spectabilis, Carex planispicata, Erigeron pulchellus var. pulchellus, Chrysogonum virginianum, Collinsonia canadensis, and other nutrient-demanding species suggests some influence from underlying calcareous sediments (see also plot PEWM001 from a mesic ravine nearby).