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
Stem Observation Area
400
m²
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
5
%
Field Cover
90
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
A backswamp slough similar to ones documented on the Hyco River (F98FLE78VAUS, 1998-09-14, Plot # 1 & 2). Vegetation is an open canopy forest or woodland with extremely sparse lower woody layers and a proliferation of herbaceous plants adapted to cycles of seasonal flooding and exsiccation. High water marks on trees here are at about 1.2 m. above the ground, with secondary water marks at +40-50 cm. Although the river channel and floodplain at this site are unaltered by the Kerr Reservoir downstream. It is probable that high water fluctuations in the reservoir are responsible for some of the surface flooding in the slough. It is unknown to what degree the natural hydrologic regime and vegetation have been altered by such reservoir impacts.
Plot location: Backswamp near NE edge of Roanoke River Floodplain, 0.8 miles SSE of the mouth of Difficult Creek.
Rock Types Present: Greenstone metabasalt.
