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
200
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
13
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
2
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
45
%
Field Cover
3
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot captures a very unusual habitat and vegetation assemblage occurring on a narrow bar or spit wedged between the James River and a tidal marsh. The substrate is composed of deep sand and shells and lies just above the limits of normal tides but appears to be subject to inundation by storm surges. The bar is located just downstream from the mouth of Grove Creek and may represent, at least in part, deposition by this stream. However, the deeply piled shell fragments suggest that this is also a shell midden. Under normal conditions the habitat is quite dry and supports a stunted, open, calcareous forest of Acer barbatum, Celtis occidentalis, Juniperus virginiana, and Sideroxylon bumelioides. The plot contains the former state champion Sideroxylon bumelioides.
