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
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
95
%
Shrub Cover
45
%
Field Cover
20
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
GPS data could not be obtained, but the site was easily mapped using topographic features. The plot is located on a high terrace, or bench-like toe slope, along Turkey Run. A small spring seep is located beyond the SE edge of the plot. The forest vegetation here is fairly diverse, with medium-sized Fagus grandifolia and Carya spp. dominating the overstory. Fagus, Acer saccharum, and Ulmus rubra are common in the understory. The herb layer, while not lush, contains several spring ephemerals and species characteristic of fertile soils. Despite several return visits, the question of whether the two large overstory hickories represent Carya glabra and Carya ovalis, or just C. glabra, could never be confidently resolved.