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
34
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
20
%
Field Cover
35
%
Nonvascular Cover
70
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: massive outcrop/ boulderfield at north end of middle ridge of Bull Run Mountain, 0.17 km S of Rt. 629 bridge over Catharpin Creek. Marked with a metal tree tag. See form/report for sketch. Rock types present: massive quartzite outcrops and boulders. Microtopography is irregular, craggy, and bouldery.
This plot sample documents a small patch of old-age forest occupying a rugged boulderfield on the slope of Jackson Hollow. Soils are very limited and largely interstitial; the herbaceous flora is dominated by lithophytic ferns, like Polypodium virginianum and Dryopteris marginalis, capable of growing in crevices and organic mats. More demanding forbs, such as Actaea racemosa, Arisaema triphyllum ssp. Triphyllum, and Circaea canadensis ssp. Canadensis, inhabit a few flat boulders and ledges where loamy colluvium has been deposited. Dominant individuals of Quercus montana and Liriodendron tulipifera are truly impressive, with some approaching 1.0 m DBH. Four species that are uncommon or rare in the Bull Run Mountains occur here: Asplenium rhizophyllum (only known extant station), Cornus alternifolia (one of only a very few stations), Juglans cinerea (now much reduced by an introduced fungal pathogen), and Rubus odoratus var. odoratus (only known station).
Soil Nutrient Status: medium.
No profile development. Soils limited to small interstitial pockets and thin veneers on ledges. Sample collected is mostly a dark, sandy loam.
Physical Analysis (A-Horizon): 1% clay, 35% silt, 64% sand.