This may be one of few areas with pitch pine dominated communities in NERI.;Plataeu edge with shallow soil supporting a putative late successional stand of Pinus rigida mixed with P. strobus, with deciduous tree saplings in the subcanopy. Charcoal (coal?) in soil may be evidence of past fire event. Several P.rigida snags in plot are evidence of density dependent mortality in past. This is thought to be a late successional stand in contrast to nearby P. rigida woodlands confined to severe sites on rimrock spits which may be more long-lived but with smaller trees and may have provided seed source for pine expansion following fires
Representativeness
Small patch successional community, about 3 times as big as plot. Different from other pitch pine stands along cliff band by its tall closed canopy, abundance of white pine, and lack of Gaylussacia baccata.
