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
25
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
95
%
Field Cover
2
%
Nonvascular Cover
1
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot was placed in an upper slope Quercus rubra - Quercus montana / Rhododendron maximum forest above Laurel Fork, just below the summit of a small knob enclosed by a bend in the stream. Topography becomes much steeper just downslope from the plot. The adjacent ridgetop has been disturbed by past grazing and heavy logging perhaps 20 years ago. However, cutting generally did not extend far down the slope, and the plot area is dominated by relatively large trees that were spared. Despite a high density of Rhododendron maximum stems in the understory, the stand contains a surprising number of low-cover herbs, as well as an understory component of Ostrya virginiana, which suggests that soils are not entirely nutrient-poor. Because of their density over the entire plot, Rhododendron maximum stems were tallied using a 100 sq. m. subsample.
