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
31
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
25
%
Field Cover
50
%
Nonvascular Cover
20
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot sampled on property owned by Bill Dingus, VANHP Operations Steward. The site is a rocky lower slope of a limestone stream valley; a small limestone cliff is located just east (upslope) of the plot, while a slight ravine with some groundwater seepage is located immediately to the north. There is a moisture / soil depth gradient within the plot, with deep mesic soils on the slope of the ravine and drier, shallower soils on the higher south side. Vegetation is a medium-aged, very mixed, dry-mesic forest with extraordinary species-richness. One hundred taxa, none of them exotics, were recorded in the 400 square meter sample. Woody diversity is exceptional, with 41 species recorded. This stand has been subject to selective logging within the past few decades. Currently, there is at least some recruitment of every canopy species, including Acer saccharum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, and Aesculus flava. The most abundant herbs in the stand are Scutellaria serrata, Cimicifuga racemosa, Hepatica acutiloba, and Viola labradorica.