Towards river is a prairie (see GREE.21), then a row of battered sycamore - river birch, then patches of cobble with dog bane, then bare cobble to boulder strewn river. Upslope quickly turns to deciduous forest (tulip poplar).;Boulder - cobble - sand bar along a rapid reach of river. Plot is along the upper edge of frequently flooded zone, just below the heavy flotsam line and just above a narrow prarie zone. trees have large scars on lower trunks and lean towards river to capture light. Shrubs and saplings lean downstream in response to stream flow. Pines may establish following large stand replacing flood event.
Representativeness
Long narrow plot to sample Virginia pine. Narrow zone with a line (or two) of Virginia pine at the upper edge of regular flood stage. Sampled to compare to plots along the Gauley and Tygart River.