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
31
m
Shrub Height
5
m
Field Height
1
m
Tree Cover
90
%
Shrub Cover
80
%
Field Cover
4
%
Nonvascular Cover
5
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
The plot was placed in the most mature portion of an extensive acidic cove forest with large Tsuga canadensis and hardwoods (Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum). The site is an east-facing slope of a tributary cove of Whitetop Laurel Creek and has very deep, rocky, moss-covered, organic soils. Hemlocks are still intact here but have some lower-branch dieback due to adelgids. The understory is dominated by a dense, continuous stand of Rhododendron maximum and only one herbaceous species is present in the plot.