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
90
%
Shrub Cover
8
%
Field Cover
25
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
The woody vegetation of this plot is much the same as in 2001, except that the trees are larger and the large Quercus velutina of the earlier sample has died. Carya ovalis and C. tomentosa continue their dominance of the stand, with little oak or Acer rubrum recruitment occurring. Heavy deer herbivory continues to plague the herb layer; Actaea racemosa has been particularly hard hit, being reduced from >5% cover in 2001 to <1% cover in 2014. Overall species richness of the plot has declined slightly. Remarkably, Microstegium vimineum, which covered <1% in 2001, has not increased measurably over the past thirteen years. However, several new exotics have appeared; among these, Rubus phoenicolasius is particularly problematic, covering >5% of the plot.
