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
20
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
60
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This stand is a dry, very diverse open forest or woodland adjacent to a large limestone or dolomite barren on the middle slope of a knob along Mill Creek. Soils are stony and probably shallow, with high calcium and magnesium levels. The woodland is short-statured and poorly sorted into vertical strata, with Quercus muhlenbergii, Fraxinus americana, Acer saccharum, and Juniperus virginiana more or less sharing dominance. Cercis canadensis and Ostrya virginiana are most important in a fairly dense shrub layer. The patchy herbaceous flora is dominated by nutrient-demanding xerophytes. The stand is a large and otustanding example of dry calcareous forest/woodland.