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
4
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
25
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot is located on a convex, northeast-facing ravine slope on the upper north flank of Stone Mountain behind the Forest Service Glade Spring Cabin. Despite light selective cutting decades ago, the forest here appears to be signficantly older than most in the area, with Quercus alba, Q. rubra, and Q. montana up to ca. 75 cm DBH sharing canopy dominance. The understory, however, contains few oaks and consists of a mixture of mesophytic tree species, e.g., Acer rubrum, Magnolia acuminata, M. fraseri, Nyssa sylvatica, and Oxydendrum arboreum. The herb layer is patchy and dominated by ferns.