Uphill the slope gets drier and more oaky losing the hemlock. The forest also becomes younger. Downslope is a steep rock cliff carved by the river. There, it seems quite erodable and subject to landslides.;Old rock oak - hemlock forest on a steep gorge slope. All the trees show signs of slope creep and are scarred on the uphill side. There is a rich and diverse looking herbaceous layer with a deep duff layer over a rock shelf. Downed trees are on a high percentage in this plot. The soil is most likely subject to landslides. Most of the hemlocks in the plot are dying. The slope is cut by a series of narrow gullies which seem to lack trees. The larger trees are located on minute ridge spurs or noses.
Representativeness
This is a thin band of possible old growth forest running on a steep gorge slope. The community is slightly wider than the plot and runs somewhat continuous for 1/2 of a mile. The patch is broken up by mixed meso and hemlock coves. This is an example of a
