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
70
%
Shrub Cover
15
%
Field Cover
15
%
Nonvascular Cover
30
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The habitat of this plot is a narrow spur ridge crest formed by a "razorback" of Chemung sandstone. Soils here are limited to thin mats or organic duff over bedrock and the south side of the outcrop drops off precipitously in a line of small cliffs. The vegetation on and around this bedrock spine is an edaphically controlled oak forest, which grades sharply into northern hardwoods as soil conditions improve downslope on both sides. The canopy is dominated by red oak (Quercus rubra), with chestnut oak (Quercus montana) and red maple (Acer rubrum) in association. Prior to the blight, American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was also an important associate on this site. The larger oaks of this community are gnarled and commercially unfit. While the stand may not have been directly impacted by cutting, a charcoal rich duff layer ranging up to 11 cm deep indicates that severe fires disturbed this habitat, probably after the area was logged in the 1920s.