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 Height
23
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
2
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
40
%
Field Cover
75
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The term "bottomland forest" connotes vegetation dominated by large-statured hydrophytic trees and occurring on broad floodplains of large rivers. It hardly seems appropriate for seasonally flooded vegetation along small intermittent streams such as this stand. Acer rubrum is the leading canopy dominant, although Pinus taeda and Liriodendron tulipifera form an emergent overstory. The moderately dense understory contains the characteristic Ilex opaca, Carpinus caroliniana, and Asimina triloba. The herb layer is overwhelmingly dominated by ferns: chiefly Thelypteris noveboracensis, but also Onoclea sensibilis, Athyrium filix-femina var. asplenioides, Polystichum acrostichoides, and Botrychium virginianum. Galearis spectabilis abounds farther upstream, but vegetation there is more disturbed and exotics such as Lonicera japonica and Microstegium vimineum more common.
0 - 2 - leaf litter
2 - 18 - medium to dark brown sandy loam
18 - 55 - clay loam, medium brown grading abruptly (within 5 cm) to light gray and mottled, then becoming lighter with depth; moderate organic matter content
~55 - water table
~65 - dark bro