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
33
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
65
%
Field Cover
8
%
Nonvascular Cover
8
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: west-facing slope of large ravine at west foot of ridge, 1.32 km SSW of US Rt. 50 bridge over Little River at Aldie. Not permanently marked. Rock types present: flaggy quartzite / muscovite schist debris.
This plot encompasses several heterogeneous microhabitats, including a somewhat sheet-eroded ravine slope, rocky streambanks, a stream bottom terrace, and a very small area of wet streamside soils. A few wetland species (e.g., Boehmeria cylindrica) are associated with the streamside microhabitats while sheet-eroded places on the slope support xerophytes such as Epigaea repens and Vaccinium pallidum. Overall, the site supports medium-age mesophytic hardwood forest with mixed overstory dominance by Fagus grandifolia, Quercus spp., and Liriodendron tulipifera. Shrub and herb composition is fairly diverse and typical of extremely acidic, mesic ravines in the region.