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
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
8
%
Field Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
Since the original 2001 sampling, three dominant oaks have died, one of them creating a large canopy gap in the southwestern part of the plot. Unlike many stands on Bull Run Mountain where oaks are decadent, this one nearly lacks Acer rubrum in the understory and most of the younger tree recruitment consists of hickories (Carya ovalis and Carya tomentosa). Very heavy levels of deer herbivory continue to suppress the cover and vigor of herbaceous plants in this plot.