Isolated water gap in the Smokehole drainage. Area is privately owned but is adjacent to USFS land. Smokehole is home to several unique limestone habitats. Down slope 20 m is a large dust covered limestone cliff (GRAN.46). Upslope ca. 30 m is another cliff break (possibly limestone). The S Br Potomac River is located ca. 0.17 miles SE. Chinquapin oak observed upslope near cliff break. See plots GRAN.45,46, and 48 for more context.;Open even aged forest somewhat dry on a SE facing midslope. The forest is dominated by Quercus rubra and Acer saccharum with an understory of Carys spp. and Fraxinus americana. The forest floor is steep and rocky. Although the community feels dry the herb layer is diverse and somewhat abundant. The rocky colluvium in the plot is a mixture of acidic sandstone "gravel" (3x3 cm). Heavy deer browse observable . Lack of S2 tree species in plot and palatable forbs are nipped (Solidago spp. Symphyotrichum sp.).
Representativeness
Small patch of deciduous forest on limestone. Forest type is represented by red oak - sugar maple hickory/ Dichanthelium boscii. This is an under sampled limestone community but relatively common. It is much less charismatic limestone community with few i
