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
23
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
55
%
Field Cover
8
%
Nonvascular Cover
2
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
The current vegetation is a dry forest dominated by Quercus montana and Kalmia latifolia; a very large, 68 cm DBH Pinus pungens located just beyond the north edge of the plot contributes 5-10% overhanging cover. This plot was orginally placed in what was essentially a small pocket of oak-pine forest in a matrix of largely deciduous (Quercus montana) forest. The formerly co-dominant pine component has largely died out, with one pitch pine and five Virginia pines having succumbed since 2001. It seems likely that most or all of this decline is due simply to old age rather than southern pine beetles. Because of the concurrent growth of remaining hardwoods, total basal area is almost identical in the two samples. Since 2001, the density of measureable Kalmia stems has more than doubled, and the die-back of this species that has been widely observed elsewhere on Bull Run Mountain is absent here. This stand is unusual in having fairly numerous younger oak recruitment, and a paucity of understory red maple and blackgum. However, many of the younger subcanopy oak trees are showing signs of stress and die-back, and beech has increased significantly in the shrub layer since the 2001 sampling.
