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:
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
50
%
Nonvascular Cover
50
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Representative in terms of dominance and species composition of the forest community consistently found on steep, straight slopes with north aspects in the shale (all formations) country. These forests are characterized by dominance in the canopy by Quercus montana, Quercus rubra and Pinus strobus; high aerial coverage and diversity of mosses; and a rapid transition in the herb layer over the often short distance from the upper to lower slope, from dominance by oligotrophic species (i.e., heaths, Gaultheria, Epigaea, Galax, etc.) to dominance by submesotrophic indicator species. This plot is at midslope, and more or less in the middle of the transition zone on this nearly straight slope. The position on the slope of the transition zone is higher on more concave slopes and lower on more convex slopes. On some slopes the community grades into a yellow pine-scarlet oak/scrub oak/heath woodland, especially on horizontal convexities with a northwest aspect. This plot is in a younger stand which has experienced fire(s), which may have eliminated the canopy; old-growth examples (which have also experienced fire) are found nearby on many north slopes and are floristically very similar to this stand. Quercus montana measured at 35 cm dbh.
Plot located ca. 1.3 km southwest of Blue Spring Run, on north slope of Gaging Station Barren ridge. From point on spine of ridge N40W of Rt. 18 bridge, go north downhill about halfway to stream, then walk east along contour 100-200 ft.
