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
39
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
0
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
20
%
Field Cover
95
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: deep ravine at north end of High Point Mtn., 0.85 km SW of Hopewell Gap. Marked with a metal tree tag. See form/report for sketch. No surface rocks present.
The plot was placed in a sheltered, north-facing, cove-like ravine. Soils are apparently deep, dark, and loamy, with relatively high Ca, Mg, and total base saturation. A luxuriant mesophytic forest occupies the entire cove, with tall, straight Liriodendron tulipifera up to 1.0 m DBH dominating the canopy. Large (up to 80 cm DBH) individuals of Quercus rubra are scattered through the stand, along with occasional Fraxinus americana (not in plot), Carya spp., and Quercus alba (not in plot). Cercis canadensis var. canadensis and Lindera benzoin dominate the understory, while the lush herb layer is characterized by Amphicarpaea bracteata, Actaea racemosa, and mixed ferns. NOTE: an historical plat on file at the VOF Aldie office indicates that, in 1820, this site was a field. A 1939 plat of the same area shows the site as "woods". Evidently this area was cleared during the 18th century, and probably abandoned either during or before the Civil War, or around the turn of the century.
