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
33
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
85
%
Shrub Cover
10
%
Field Cover
25
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
This beautiful oak-hickory forest has continued to decline since 2001, as what little oak recruitment was present has died off and the dominant Acer rubrum understory has continued to grow in size and importance. Although Quercus alba is still the most dominant overstory tree in the stand, the large 73 cm DBH tag tree from the 2001 plot has blown down, littering part of the area with coarse woody debris and contributing to a significant decrease in stand basal area. Two small Liriodendron tulipifera have also died. The herbaceous flora is pretty comparable to that in the 2001 sample, with only some minor species turnover and fluctuations in abundance in evidence. However, Microstegium vimineum (absent in 2001) has become established here, and can be expected to increase rapidly as it has in many other oak-hickory forests of the area.
