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:
--no data--
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: Forested wetland ca. 0.6 miles NE of the NC/VA line where it crosses the Northwest River. Plot center marked with a 1" white PVC pipe.
Slight hummock and hollow microtopography.
Hummock/ hollow diff. = +/- 20cm.
Nutrient Regime: Oligotrophic.
NOTE: No water marks on trees.
A nearly closed-canopy forest dominated by Pinus serotina, growing on an interior "island" of poorly decomposed peat. This habitat does not appear to be elevated aboce the Northwest River backswamps but probably has been isolated from fluvial processes for enough time to allow significant decomposition of coarse organic material. Hydrology is not currently influenced by wind-tidal or overland flooding, but is characterized by an elevated water table and saturated conditions. Surrounded on all sides by mucky, flooded swamps, it is also quite protected from fire. Presumably, this normally fire-associated vegetation became established following a rare catastrophic fire in the swamp and has now reached a stagnated, closed canopy condition due to a lack of periodic burning.
0-4cm - Litter
4-8cm - Peat (H6), Water table at 6cm
8-30cm - Peat (H8), dark reddish-brown
30-50cm - Peat (H8), firmer
50-60cm - Peat (H4/H5), less decomposed
60-90cm - Peat (H9), very soupy
90-110cm - Peat (H9), becomes black.
Sample taken from a hollow. No live roots below 8cm.