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
4
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
8
%
Field Cover
35
%
Nonvascular Cover
7
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Vegetation in this plot is fairly typical of forests occuping the west- to north-facing slopes of this cove at the headwaters of the Thornton River. The substrate is weathered from granitic rocks of intermediate base status. Tsuga canadensis is infrequent to absent in this forest, but Pinus strobus is a locally important overstory tree. The plot captures the drier end of the compositional variation, owing to the doubly-convex slope. As a result, there is some mixing of mesophytic and more xerophytic herbs in the sample.