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
38
m
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot location: SE-facing ravine 0.9 miles SW of campground at Staunton River State Park.
This small, mesic, forested ravine has a tall overstory of medium-sized Liriodendron tulipifera and a thin subcanopy of Quercus rubra, Carya alba, and Liquidambar styraciflua. Cornus florida is still dominant in the shrub layer, despite inroads by the introduced pathogen, dogwood anthracnose. The herb layer of this forest is somewhat patchy but quite lush and robust, with colonies of tall Cimicifuga racemosa and lower Polystichum acrostichoides contributing much of the cover. This stand probably represents a transition from post-logging tuliptree-oak forest to oak-hickory forest.