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
35
m
Shrub Height
2
m
Field Height
3
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
60
%
Field Cover
65
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Deciduous hardwood forest with a lush herb layer on north-facing lower and toe slopes of a steep bluff subtending the wide James River floodplain (see also plot BESP004, which occurs higher on the bluff and is not as rich). Soils here are deep, loamy, and unstable; a narrow, 10 x 40 m quadrat was sampled in order to minimize trampling and damage on the slope. The plot is located approximately 100 m from the river channel. A fairly diverse tree canopy (Liriodendron, Tilia, Fagus, Fraxinus, Quercus rubra, Carya cordiformis) occurs over a lush herb layer patch-dominated by Jeffersonia diphylla, Dicentra canadensis, Claytonia canadensis, Asarum canadense, Podophyllum peltatum, Cardamine concatenata, and Erythronium americanum ssp. americanum. Jeffersonia is apparently confined at this site to the vicinity of the plot, while the remainder of the listed species are widespread and consistently abundant along at least a mile of similar habitat. Many small stems of Asimina dominate the shrub layer. Woody cover was difficult to estimate as leaves were barely out.