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
22
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
40
%
Field Cover
2
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot is within a 150-acre forest stand on a stabilized dune on the bayside of the Eastern Shore. The stand is part of a larger 500-acre occurrence of maritime forest that stretches in discontinuous patches along the bayside from below Kiptopeake to Cape Charles. The plot is situated on a slope over Devil's Ditch (a short, impounded tributary of the Bay) and captures a deciduous forest with a few large pines. Unlike plot NORH018, which is located on a bayside flat nearby, the vegetation is more xeric, open, and species-rich; lacks Quercus alba, Carya pallida, and Ilex vomitoria; and contains substantial components of Quercus nigra, Sassafras albidum, and Juniperus virginiana.
