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
1000
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
Field Height
4
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Deciduous forest is well developed on this portion of one of the Catlett Islands. In contrast to plot GLOU005, the understory contains a high density of large, broad-crowned Ilex opaca, and canopy height is greater. This site is unambiguously an upland. The ground layer is very sparse, owing in large part to the low evergreen shade cast by Ilex. Although no large gaps are present, the stand has experienced recent wind disturbance, probably from Hurricane Isabel in September 2003. Modules 4 and 5 are considerably more open and contain numerous vines of Smilax, Vitis and Lonicera. To the northwest the vegetation grades abruptly into a more open pine forest, which is more severely disturbed and contains more ruderal species in the ground layer.
0 - 1 - leaf litter and duff
1 - 3 - O horizon
3 - 18 - dark gray, moist sandy loam, evidently with abundant fine organic matter
18 - ~50 - somewhat finer textured, medium orange-brown, sandy clay loam
~ 50 - soil grades to oxidized clay loam; clay content apparently increases with depth; soil becomes very hard until ca. 1 m, where moisture increases and soil becomes more friable, probably near the water table
