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
34
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
6
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
40
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot was positioned in a slight depression in the floodplain of Catharpin Creek, a relatively small, meandering stream in the northern Virginia Culpeper (Mesozoic) Basin. The forest in this depression is considerably older than the surrounding stand, which likely represents an even-aged stand that regenerated when former clearings in the floodplain were abandoned. Stand composition is typical of older swamps found throughout the Culpeper Basin, containing a mixture of Quercus palustris, Q. bicolor, Acer rubrum, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Carpinus caroliniana dominates the small tree/shrub layers, and sedges dominate the herb layer. This habitat is apparently quite wet during parts of the year, although it was completely dry on the survey date. So far, the abundant invasive exotics of better-drained soils nearby have not invaded the stand to any appreciable degree.
