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
28
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
70
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Narrow bottomland forest along a Dragon Swamp tributary upstream from the Rt. 610 bridge. The plot is in the back part of the bottomland, in a shallow depressed area near the upland edge. Toward the main stream channel, soils are slightly higher and better drained. The plot captures a medium-aged forest with scattered large trees and a dense shrub layer. Floristically, it most resembles an acidic swamp forest but also contains elements of temporarily flooded alluvial forests, e.g., Betula nigra and Platanus occidentalis. The ground has unvegetated or sparsely vegetated, litter-covered depressions that hold water for periods of the year. Better herbaceous development occurs on hummocks and slightly elevated terraces. Moss covers some of the hummocks and lateral tree roots.
