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:
Field Height
4
m
Field Cover
90
%
Nonvascular Cover
10
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Creative plot placement was necessary to capture this open, herbaceous-dominated phase of a mostly wooded sandstone barren on Sinking Creek Mountain. Woody component was minimized, but inclusion of overhanging cover was unavoidable. Canopy height of surrounding vegetation is generally low (< 6 m); most emergent trees are Quercus montana. Vegetation of this plot is remarkably similar to that of herbaceous barrens on the south-facing slope of Buffalo Mountain. The presence of such woody species as Carya ovalis and Fraxinus americana at this site suggests surprisingly fertile soils.