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
Stem Observation Area
400
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
25
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
80
%
Field Cover
15
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: ca. 100 m NW of turn-around on summit of east ridge Bull Run Mountain at SW corner of Bull Run Mountain estates. Marked with a metal tree tag. See form/report for sketch. No surface rocks present.
A very dry, convex, upper-slope site with a history of frequent or severe fires. Sandy soils are very nutrient-poor and the forest occupying the site is floristically depauperate. Pinus rigida is the current overstory dominant, although Quercus montana and other hardwoods comprise the entire understory. Since there is no pine recruitment, continued absence of fire or other disturbances will likely result in an oak-dominated forest over the long term. Kalmia latifolia forms an exceedingly dense shrub layer over the entire western flank of the Bull Run Mountain east ridge in this area; only by positioning the plot in an area where the Kalmia was unusually thin (ca. 70% cover) could this vegetation be sampled.
