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
35
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
8
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
60
%
Field Cover
70
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Although most upland forests on the slopes and bluffs bordering Lake Prince are associated with acidic soils and contain typical acidophilic species, small stands of rich mesophytic hardwood forest occur where underlying shell deposits are close enough to the surface to influence soil chemistry. This plot was located in one such habitat, a hilltop between two arms of the lake where soil calcium levels reach about 1500 ppm. This fertile upland supports a lush, mature second-growth forest with a mixed overstory of Liriodendron tulipifera, Carya cordiformis, Quercus falcata, Fagus grandifolia, and Juglans nigra, with massive recruitment of sapling Acer barbatum in the shrub layer. Cercis canadensis is a common shrub in this stand. The herb layer is lush with spring ephemerals and colonies of Arisaema triphyllum, Podophyllum peltatum, Cynoglossum virginianum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, and other species.