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
800
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
29
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
6
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
25
%
Nonvascular Cover
25
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Mature oak-hickory-beech stand on steep, short bluff subtending the Rappahannock River. This is the most mature forest seen in the Phelps WMA and probably escaped recent human disturbances because of its steep, rocky site. An 800 sq. meter plot was sampled to adequately capture tree composition. Chestnut oak is the leading canopy dominant, with less numerous red oak, red hickory, pignut hickory, and beech. Carpinus caroliniana is the most abundant shrub. The herb layer is not dense, but is surprisingly species-rich for such a rocky site. Immediately above the plot are rock outcrops covered by Polypodium virginianum. Immediately downslope, the forest grades into the river floodplain.