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
30
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
7
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot is located on a steep, plunging upper slope of a bluff along the Potomac River. Large outcrops and talus fields are present downslope, and soils may be relatively shallow over the bedrock. The vegetation is a mesophytic oak forest dominated by large-diameter Quercus montana, with large Quercus rubra, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Nyssa sylvatica associated. Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, and some Fagus grandifolia are the principal understory trees. The distinctive herb layer is dominated by Polystichum acrostichoides, Eurybia divaricata, and Carex communis. This vegetation constrasts sharply with the lusher, more mesophytic forests that cover most of the Scotts Run bluffs.