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
15
%
Field Cover
90
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot is located in a fairly extensive, high elevation ridge crest. The forest here is characterized by a dominance of red oak (Quercus rubra) and, to a lesser extent, black cherry (Prunus serotina), with a few shrubs and dense colonies of hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) beneath. An old railroad spur runs down the crest and much of the area may have been cleared for use as a staging area during logging operations in the 1920s. Very heavy deer browse has decimated most tree seedlings and saplings in the area, and light gypsy moth damage to oak foliage was also noted. Because of the lack of young tree reproduction, successional trends in this stand are unclear. Measured trees in plot (dbh in cm.): Quercus rubra (60,51,50), Acer saccharum (75), Prunus serotina (38,31).
