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
24
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
25
%
Field Cover
90
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
This plot is representative of rich mesophytic forest vegetation occupying very steep dolomitic slopes subtending the Little River west of Rockhouse. The steepness (40 degrees) and substrate of deep leaf litter covering numerous boulders and fragments made sampling very difficult, so a long narrow plot configuration was used to minimize the vertical dimension. The forest is co-dominated by Acer saccharum and Aesculus flava, beneath which grows a profuse and species-rich assemblage of nutrient-demanding and calciphilic herbs, most abundantly Cystopteris bulbifera, Asarum canadense, and Solidago flexicaulis. The inaccessible habitat has protected this stand from livestock grazing and logging that has greatly impacted similar forests on the gentler slopes above.