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
7
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
4
%
Shrub Cover
60
%
Field Cover
10
%
Nonvascular Cover
30
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This nearly vertical dolomite cliff face subtends the New River Trail and was sampled by visual inspection from the base. A 40 meter long, 5 meter high quadrat, with its base 1 meter higher than the trail bed, was used to make inventory of the plot area feasible. Tree diameters were estimated since the stems could not be accessed; since trees and shrubs grew parallel to the cliff face, cover was estimated by "horizontal" projection of biomass. Although this cliff was no doubt altered during construction of the former railroad right-of-way, it now supports vegetation comparable to that found on fully natural (but inaccessible) cliffs bordering the New River. This plot represented a rare opportunity to collect quantitative data from such a habitat.