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
24
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
45
%
Field Cover
12
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
A xeric oak forest with variable heath density, on a flat ridge crest in the dissected inner Coastal Plain. The stand is fairly young and regenerated from clear-cutting some decades ago. In the area of the plot, Quercus montana and Q. velutina co-dominate, but Q. alba is also common in areas outside the sample. This stand continues on steep slopes between the crest and a creek to the south, but has a much higher cover of Kalmia latifolia. Oak recruitment is sparse and the mesophytic species Fagus grandifolia, Acer rubrum, and Ilex opaca are common in the understory, suggesting a substantial period without fire.
