Gradients of this community type are found throughout the midslopes of the Bluestone Gorge. Below the plot to the west the community grades to the drier more sterile oak- hickory. To the east it grades quickly to a more mesic forest community. Up and down the ridge line from the plot the community remains a varient of the oak - hickory.;Fire scars are found on the T2 trees. The ridge line is very narrow and the E and W aspects at the edge of the plot are so steep that the plot is probably being influenced by the two aspects. An old road winds up the ridge line.
Representativeness
Large patch of the Bluestone Gorge matrix oak- hickory community. The dominant oaks are Quercus alba and Q. prinus. The dominant hickory is Carya glabra. The herbaceous layer is highly diverse. This plot has more sugar maple than the average.