A Sand County Almanac: Summary

In the essay “Good Oak” in part one of A Sand County Almanac, Leopold is supplied with wood from an oak tree to warm himself on the cold winter days and nights. One night the Oak is struck by a bolt of lightning and it is decided by Leopold and other woodsmen to remove the damaged tree. As Leopold and the other men cut through the tree they witness the same history experienced by the Oak. They cut through the rings and go backwards into time. Each ring represents one year the tree stood tall. I choose this essay not because of a personal experience, but because the essay inspired me. While I was reading the many essays throughout the book this one always stuck in the back of my mind. I responded well to this essay because of the way Leopold
In this part of the essay I can see the relationship that developed between Leopold and the Oak tree. Leopold believes this tree and all other Oaks are special because they has beat all the odds he states, “Only one acorn in a thousand ever grew large enough to fight rabbits; the rest were drowned at birth in the prairie sea” (8). This section stood out to me because trees seem like a very common occurrence. I see them every day. It never occurred to me that they fight to live and to grow. When Leopold learns of the death this tree he and his fellow woodsmen mourn the loss as if it were a person (9). Leopold knows this tree has lived through a lifetime of experiences. Leopold states, “Fragrant little chips of history spewed from the saw cut, and accumulated on the snow before each kneeling sawyer (9, 10). To Leopold trees are history. Ever since I was a child I always regarded Earth and its nature as a museum. All the trees I saw as a little kid were there long before I was and will be there long after I am gone. Reading the essay “Good Oak” confirmed my belief about the connection between history and