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
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
--no data--
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: ca. 80 m. south of Sycamore Ditch at a point 0.9 miles east of Laurel Ditch. Great Dismal Swamp NWR.
Hummock and hollow microtopography.
A forest typical of many secondary stands in the Great Dismal Swamp. The habitat is characterized by shallow seasonal flooding, mostly in the winter months, and highly decomposed peat substrates. Acer rubrum is currently the most characteristic tree here and in many other similar stands of the Swamp following extensive hydrologic (ditching) and subrstrate (peat dessication, peat burn) disturbances.
0-3cm - maple leaf litter
3-7cm - loose brown duff
7-17cm - dry, dark brown humus with charcoal and many roots; crumbly, subangular blocks 0.25-0.5 cm diam.
17-100cm - very dry, brown, less decomposed humus with strong structure of 3 cm diam. Blocks becoming 3-10cm diam. Blocks with much charcoal and air spaces
100-105cm - well decomposed peat without structure
105cm - moist, well decomposed peat with charcoal