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
5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Like plot #12, this plot represents a nutrient poor type of northern hardwood forest which often occurs on south or southwest facing slopes in the laurel fork area. This stand occurs on a lower ravine slope, just below a transition from northern hardwoods to oak-ericad forest on the middle and upper slopes. It's canopy features an even age, sucker origin stand of beech (Fagus grandifolia), mixed with black birch (Betula lenta), red oak (Quercus rubra), red maple (Acer rubrum) and a little hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). The canopy dominant of this plot (beech) is about 60 years old and probably resulted from suckering or fire killed cull trees after logging in the 1920s. Charcoal is present in the duff here and a fire scar on the trunk of a large birch here was about 75 years old.
The beech here are starting to show signs of decline from beech bark disease caused by beech scale and Nectria fungus infestations. Because the viability of beech is in doubt, future successional dynamics of the stand are uncertain.
