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
29
m
Shrub Height
4
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
4
%
Field Cover
45
%
Nonvascular Cover
50
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot was placed on the very bouldery, upper north-facing slope of Garden Mountain, below a line of sandstone ledges and small cliffs. Vegetation is a northern hardwood forest with medium-sized to large trees and a substrate dominated by large, moss and litter-covered boulders. Betula alleghaniensis, Prunus serotina, and Quercus rubra occur primarily in the overstory, while Acer saccharum is important in both the canopy and subcanopy layers; Aesculus flava occurs in the overstory outside the plot. The shrub layer is very open to nearly absent, while ferns (primarily Dryopteris intermedia) dominate the herbaceous flora. Leaf litter covers small stones and gravel between boulders. Coarse woody debris from wind and ice damage is also abundant. The Appalachian Trail runs through the northwest corner of the plot.
