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
36
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
70
%
Field Cover
4
%
Nonvascular Cover
2
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: steep slope along east side of Catletts Branch, 1.74 km north of Beverly Mill. Marked with a metal tree tag. See form/report for sketch. Rock types present: sparse quartzite debris.
Large, mature specimens of Quercus alba, Quercus montana, and Fagus grandifolia are scattered on this steep, south-facing slope along Catletts Branch. Old stumps indicate that Castanea dentata was also frequent here. The vegetation is somewhat intermediate between mixed hardwood forests of the valley floor and chestnut oak/heath forests of the ridge slope. Kalmia latifolia forms moderately dense colonies in the shrub layer. Just upslope from this plot is an area with numerous blow-downs and tip-up mounds about 10-20 years old.