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
30
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
70
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The habitat is a convex, southwest facing slope of Little Stony Mountain, ca. 0.4 mi NNE of Big Stone Gap. Ledges and underlying strata of Greenbrier Limestone provide only a thin, very dry soil environment in which calciphitic xerophytes such as Quercus muhlenbergii, Aster sericeus and Helianthus hirsutus thrive. The vegetation here is similar and related to that of Ash-Hickory woodland which occupies a larger belt on Little Stony Mountain; it is noteworthy for being forb rich and nearly lacking in significant grass cover compared to many other dry, open limestone woodlands.