releve Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/nh_plotform_instructions.pdf
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
35
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
5
%
Field Cover
5
%
Nonvascular Cover
0
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Directions to plot and tree tag:
Park at James River Visitor center. Take "Trail of Trees" over 1st footbridge and just before 2nd footbridge, at the interpretive sign for persimmon, take ridge up approximately 150m to a point where the ridge begins to rise more steeply. Witness tree is ~30m 115 degrees downslope toward stream and flagged with pink flagging. Tagged tree is a Quercus rubra of 67 cm dbh with tag #161. Conduit is at a bearing of 36 degrees and 9 m from tree.
Plot location was selected in the field by DNH Ecologists, targeting a hemlock cove.
Remnant area of living hemlock in ravine. Surrounded by dead or dying hemlock. Within plot some standing dead but most of the canopy is intact. Forest floor is beginning to show signs of canopy break up. Microstegium will likely invade site as canopy trees begin to succumb to adelgid. Several large beech and tulip poplar also in plot. Herb layer is sparse but diverse. Hemlock had much more cover prior to adelgid.