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
15
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot is located in a rather rich forest community occupying the upper, east facing slope of a major spur of Alleghany Mountain. The occurrence of bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) here is noteworthy, as hickories (of any species) are decidedly infrequent to rare in the extensive northern hardwood stands of the Alleghany Mountain/Laurel Fork Area. The overall forest growth here is relatively young and the landscape is scarred from cable logging in the 1920s. Heavy deer browse on herbaceous plants was noted, along with minor gypsy moth damage to foliage of red oaks. Measured trees in plot (dbh in cm.): Acer saccharum (68,59), Fraxinus americana (67), Prunus serotina (52), Quercus rubra (49).