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
27
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
75
m
Tree Cover
75
%
Shrub Cover
20
%
Field Cover
90
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot located in a rich, southeast-facing, upper-slope forest of mixed oaks, hickories, ash, and other hardwoods immediately below High Knob on Stone Mountain. This stand regenerated after logging some decades ago, and well-rotted stumps are still present. Removal of oaks may have released recruitment of the more mesophytic and/or intolerant Fraxinus americana, Acer saccharum, Magnolia acuminata, and Prunus serotina that now share overstory dominance with Quercus rubra and Carya ovata. The herb layer of the stand is spectacularly lush with many nutrient-demanding forbs, resembling that of a rich cove forest.