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
29
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
6
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
65
%
Field Cover
20
%
Nonvascular Cover
15
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Site is part of an extensive, rocky diabase "flatwoods" supporting a relatively old stand of dry, species-rich oak-hickory forest. Soils in this area have a distinct fragipan of montmorillonite clay and alternate between being rock-hard during dry periods and waterlogged during wet periods. This plot is located on a bouldery, gently undulating upland with a mixed stand of Quercus spp., Carya spp., Fraxinus americana, Cercis canadensis, and herbaceous graminoids. Composition is representative of more mesic parts of the overall stand, with Quercus shumardii and Carpinus caroliniana unusually important. Herb cover is uncharacteristically low for the area.