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
30
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
65
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: flatwoods 0.2 km NW of jct. Rt. 623 and 624.
The plot documents a subxeric oak/heath forest heavily dominated by Quercus alba (overstory), Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica (understory), and Gaylussacia baccata (shrub and herb layers). Exceedingly high sapling densities of Acer rubrum and Nyssa are correlated with very poor oak recruitment in the sub-canopy and sapling classes. However, a recent pulse of abundant oak seedling regeneration (especially of Q. alba) is evident. Although located only ca. 125 meters from plot CUSF019, this plot has significantly different vegetation (oak/heath vs. oak-hickory), soil texture (sandy loam vs. loam), and soil chemistry (lower pH, Ca, Mg, Mn, and total base saturation), suggesting a variance in parent material at small spatial scales.