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
32
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
30
%
Field Cover
30
%
Nonvascular Cover
25
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The site is a rocky, middle-elevation slope over Catoctin greenstone. Vegetation is a dry-mesic oak-hickory forest with Cornus florida understory. Oaks (Quercus rubra, Q. montana, Q. velutina) share canopy dominance and have the largest diameters. Smaller, and presumably younger, cohorts of Carya ovalis and C. alba dominate the understory. Dogwood has not yet been heavily impacted by anthracnose at this site. Cimicifuga racemosa is the dominant herb.
Plot location: ca. 50 m upslope on NE side of Skyline Drive, 0.4 mi. NW of Thornton Gap.