In 1991 Frank and Eleanor Biasiolli purchased 116 acres bounded by the Lynch River on the western border of Greene and Albemarle counties.
East of Shenandoah National Park’s Ivy Creek overlook, the property is bisected by a small tributary of the Lynch River with two-thirds of the property composed of north facing slopes broken up by small, intermittent streams or seeps which are floristically diverse, with numerous ferns and herbs. Scattered large Sassafras, Yellow Popular, and White Pine, perhaps 100 years old, can be found in the lower section of this area while the ridge tops and higher elevations of the property contain older Chestnut Oak and Black Gum some of which may be as old as 200 year. Since their purchase of the property the Biasiollis have worked to control nonnative invasive plants found on the property and to promote the growth of a diverse, native forest.
Geology
The underlying strata are very old and complicated. Consisting of granite and grandiorite formations, it is a pretty complex composition from the pre-Cambrian times.
Area 1
Area 1 is a large area, 40 acres, at the top of the property.
The trees are larger and much older and the logging in the recent past was apparently a light highgrading, removing mostly the larger and more valuable oaks.
High up, chestnut oak is now the predominant species, and in places mountain laurel is abundant in the understory. Black gums are also common in the canopy. Many of these trees are well over 100 years old, and some perhaps 200 years or more.
Area 2
Area 2 occupies only 10 acres on a ridge that is very steep on the side sloping to the north, down to the Lynch River. Some of the trees on these steep slopes appear to be very old, some of the chestnut oaks perhaps over 300 years old.
Area 3
Area 3 comprises half of the property and occupies the central portion. Most of this area was used for livestock grazing, and probably even some cultivation in places. The forest now is 30 to 40 years old, with scattered larger, older trees.
There are some beautiful white pines up to 30 inches or so, and scattered, equally large yellow poplar. There is an unusual number of large sassafras, many of these open grown also, some larger than 24 inches. Some of these larger trees are probably 100 years old. The young trees are a mixture of yellow poplar, Virginia and white pines, black locust, basswood, red maple, black birch, hemlock (many of which have been killed by the adelgid), and other species, with a relatively small admixture of oaks. Overall, it is a well stocked and attractive forest. The seeps are floristically diverse, with lots of ferns and herbs. Lush beds of silvery spleenwort (a fern) are especially attractive, and golden ragwort was blooming abundantly in some seeps.
Invasive Plants
Invasive plants are a problem, especially on the moister sites. Oriental bittersweet, barberry, Japanese stiltgrass, and garlic mustard presently appear to pose the biggest problem, and it will be difficult to keep them under control without help.