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
1000
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
36
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
5
%
Field Cover
60
%
Nonvascular Cover
0
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot is representative of a somewhat elevated alluvial terrace that supports a forest of very large oaks with buttressed bases, many over 1 meter DBH. The sampling site is located ca. 80 meters from the main channel of the Blackwater River, at the south end of an "island" of slightly higher floodplain surrounded by the river and deeply flooded sloughs. The size of the magnificent Quercus laurifolia and Q. lyrata specimens indicate that the area has not been logged in a very long time. Also present in the overstory are Taxodium distichum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum, and (outside the plot) Carya aquatica. Poison ivy is abundant, with vines climbing up and covering some tree trunks. Acer rubrum regeneration is abundant in the ground stratum. The shrub layer is sparse, while sedges and violets are prevalent in the herb layer.
