Denser canopy woodland and forest are adjacent. Streambed runs below, with ATV trail from campground along logging road.;Open pine-hardwood woodland on SW - facing shale barren. Abundant down wood and exposed dead root balls. Hickories appear stressed with brown spotted leaves and small, curled leaves. No exposed bedrock on this barren, but soils are very shaly. Open shale barren is only about 15 m wide and extends up the slope ca. 40 m , shallowing slope toward the top. Glen Juergens (USFS silviculturalist) viewed hickory specimens and diagnosed leaf spot anthracnose (related to high precip. this summer) and a defoliation event, like gypsy moth.
Representativeness
Plot was placed to sample open shale barren woodland with Arabis serotina present in plot.