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
23
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
75
%
Shrub Cover
20
%
Field Cover
15
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot represents vegetation that occurs in very small patches on the driest, most convex slopes and spur "noses" subtending the estuarine wetlands of Potomac Creek. The characteristic expression is a dry, slightly stunted oak forest with open understory and patches of the grass Deschampsia flexuosa patch-dominating the herb layer. This plot differs from similar vegetation along other eastern Virginia rivers in lacking Quercus montana, which is typically dominant. Here, the canopy contains a mixture of Quercus alba, Q. rubra, Q. velutina, and Q. stellata.