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
The vegetation in this plot is typical of higher elevation ridge and spur crests on Middle Mountain. This is the heart of a transition zone between and oak-pine forest on ridges to the east and northern hardwood forest in the Allegheny Mountain/Laurel Fork area to the west. On these crests, mixed stands of red oak (Quercus rubra), chestnut oak (Quercus montana), and white oak (Quercus alba) and punctuated occasional individuals and small groves of hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and black birch (Betula lenta). However due to the ericaceous (heath family) shrubs such as mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), as well as to persistence of sprouts from the once important American chestnut (Castanea dentata), the affinities of this community type clearly lie with the ridge and valley oak forests. This site was logged around 1920 and subsequently burned, as indicated by plentiful charcoal in the duff. Most of the forest growth is relatively young, although scattered, commercially unfit oaks (now >150 years old) were spared. Future disturbance of this community type can be expected as gypsy moths become fully established in the area.
