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
22
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
75
m
Tree Cover
80
%
Shrub Cover
50
%
Field Cover
20
%
Nonvascular Cover
0.5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The vegetation in this plot is typical of the steeper, west-facing middle slopes of this ridge in Wildwood Park. It is an open, fairly young forest of mixed Quercus spp., Carya ovata, Fraxinus americana, Acer saccharum, Pinus strobus, and Juniperus virginiana. A small grassy opening (apparently artificial at least in part) is located a short distance below the plot. On the gentler upper slopes and crest, the forest is rocky and lacks Pinus strobus, but is otherwise similar. Compared to similar stands on Elbrook dolomite, the herb flora is typically species-rich but has notably low cover and density. Low herb cover along with very dense, apparently compacted soils suggests that the site has a long history of heavy livestock grazing. In addition, ubiquitous stump-sprouted oaks and ash indicate heavy logging in the past. This stand is essentially a small fragment of natural vegetation in an urban context, and exotics such as Lonicera morrowi and Celastrus orbiculatus are slowly invading even the driest and most rocky habitats.
0-2 cm: reddish-brown clay loam; friable
2+ cm: medium-brown clay loam; channery throughout
soil very dense, compacted; stones and channery (dolomite) on surface, with areas of bare soil
Disturbance Data:
Disturbance Type
Disturbance Intensity
Disturbance Comment
unknown
Stump-sprouted oaks and ashes throughout stand; heavy deer herbivory. Dense, compacted soils and abnormally low herbaceous cover probably resulted from a long history of livestock grazing.