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
90
%
Shrub Cover
8
%
Field Cover
50
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
A successional (largest trees run 12-20 in dbh), mesic, mesotrophic forest regenerated after chestnut blight and logging (the numerous pillows and cradles may indicate cable logging), on a steep, north-facing cove slope with calcareous soils influenced by Ordovician limestone bedrock. Castanea dentata was a dominant canopy tree on this site, judging from numerous cut stumps. Like many other mesic, more fertile sites on north-facing slopes in the study area where Castanea dentata was an important tree, it has not persisted as a shrub, probably due mainly to low light levels. In common also with these other sites, somewhat surprisingly considering their cool, moist aspects and very shallow litter/duff layers, fire has clearly been through, leaving charred Castanea stumps and charcoal in the soil. An artifact of plot placement is the high measure of Magnolia acuminata compared with Liriodendron. The opposite is true for the community overall: Liriodendron is the dominant tree overall, with Magnolia an important, but subordinate associate. There are several windfall openings in the stand, which is also typical of both successional and old-growth stands on steeper slopes throughout the study area.
Plot located ca. 0.6 mi ENE of Hematite. Plot center is ca. 8 m S73W of only bedrock outcrop in immediate vicinity, on north-facing cove midslope.