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
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
35
%
Field Cover
85
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Plot is located on a narrow, groundwater-saturated ravine bottom laced with small mucky channels and more extensive inter-channel areas that slightly better drained. Soils, partly weathered from Miocene shell beds, are highly calcareous. The vegetation is a saturated forest heavily dominated by Nyssa biflora and Fraxinus pennsylvanica in the overstory, Carpinus caroliniana in the understory, and Carex bromoides ssp. bromoides in the herb layer. Overall species richness, however, is high, and the stand is representative of Coastal Plain seepage swamps on base-rich substrates. Below the plot, near the mouth of the ravine, beavers have disturbed the forest and Microstegium vimineum has heavily invaded most well-drained hummocks.