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
29
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
75
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
0.5
%
Nonvascular Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The steep, northwest-facing slopes and bluffs bordering the Occoquan River (now impounded) in Fountainhead Regional Park support forest stands unusual for the Piedmont and containing Tsuga canadensis, Betula lenta, and Rhododendron maximum. The combination of the very steep terrain and distinctive vegetation composition gives this area a decidedly "montane" feel. The hemlock here has been afflicted by adelgid but has not yet suffered extensive mortality. This plot was positioned to capture one of the areas in which hemlock is important. It is a fairly mature stand dominated by Quercus montana (overstory) and Tsuga canadensis (mostly understory). The pllot was situated on a sharp, narrow spur between two ravines on the bluff. The hemlocks have ~ 50% of foliage. A large Carya alba overhangs plots; a large Fagus grandifolia is rooted outside the plot but has some overhang. The more sloping, north side of the plot contains a dense colony of Rhododendron maximum, while the remainder has a fairly open shrub layer.
