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
18
m
Shrub Height
4
m
Field Height
8
m
Tree Cover
75
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
70
%
Nonvascular Cover
7
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot placed in forested seep on side swale off main stem of Pauls Creek. Habitat is a rocky, sloping stream bottom with sandy/gravelly pools and moss cover on rocks and logs. Dominated by coarse forbs (Saxifraga micranthidifolia, Veratrum viride, Viola cucullata) with trees rooted on margins of the seep and on elevated areas within. Shrub cover is moderate, with shrubs ca. 4 meters tall. A large Betula lenta overhangs the plot. Although the vegetation fits the Central Appalachian Basic Seepage Swamp fairly well, the site is getting toward the upper end of the elevation gradient for the type, and is also more acidic than most, being on a granitic substrate. The prevalence of Betula alleghaniensis, along with species such as Angelica triquinata and Glyceria melicaria, reflect the elevation; the presence of acidophiles such as Rhododendron periclymenoides and Menziesia, and the absence of Fraxinus nigra, reflect the more acidic substrate.