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:
Field Height
30
m
Tree Cover
50
%
Shrub Cover
90
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
An extremely oligotrophic, but probably submesic, heath rich, species poor Quercus montana and Quercus rubra dominated forest, similar to communities usually associated with westerly aspects and/or convex landforms and/or steeper slopes, but here on a mesic NNE aspect and a straight to slightly concave slope. The soil here is stony sand, however, which in addition to be infertile and acid, is droughtier loams on the same landform. Though pines are infrequent and no direct evidence of fire was observed, the community is undoubtedly fire prone. The infrequence of older trees may be an indication of very hot tree killing fires in the past, carried by the dense, tall Kalmia latifolia. The cool, mesic aspect may discourage the duff layer from drying out and burning as completely as on hotter, drier aspects, thus discouraging yellow pine recruitment.
Plot located ca. 1200 ft east of Thomas Spring. (See sketch map on original plot form.) Plot center is at a 55-cm Quercus montana, which is larger than surrounding trees.
