The slope aspect changes rapidly just meters from the plots western edge where the cove cuts into the hillside. Buffalo creek drains into the New River just one cove over, 250m to the east. The trail mentioned in BLUW.9 runs 50m downslope of plot.;Plot is on fairly steep southwest facing side of a noseslope. There is a vein of exposed sandstone rock running horizontally through the middle of the plot. The soil, which is fairly exposed and strewn over with small sandstone and shale rock has at least a patchy component of channery loam. The overstory is dwarfed and without a T3 layer and is composed mostly of chestnut oak. In the S1, juniper is dominant. The S2 is occupied by blueberry. There is evidence of a fairly recent fire.
Representativeness
Plot was placed to capture lowslope south facing noseslope oak/juniper community.