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
34
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
12
%
Field Cover
35
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot located in the upper part of a ravine cutting through the river-fronting bluff at Turkey Run Park. It captures a relatively mature, mixed forest of Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus alba, and Quercus rubra. Soils here are extremely acidic and infertile, and the herb layer is patchy and fern-dominated. This condition contrasts sharply with stands downslope, which are located on more base-rich soils and contain lush assemblages of nutrient-demanding herbs. However, forests similar to that in the plot are extensive on the south side of the George Washington Parkway.
0-1 cm: leaf litter
1-2 cm: humus
2+ cm: dark yellow-brown loam (no stones, very friable)
Disturbance Data:
Disturbance Type
Disturbance Intensity
Disturbance Comment
unknown
very minor exotics; 1 old tip-up mound in plot. Herbivory damage on Viburnum acerifolium, Medeola virginiana, Maianthemum racemosum, and Eurybia divaricata.