On a recent morning, my forest wanderings drew me to look at a downed tree. This mighty chestnut oak, who once soared high above the earth, has lain on the forest floor now for quite some time.
I have seen this dead tree many times. But this day it was a marvel. Some fierce wind had once pushed it so hard that its giant root base was ripped right from the earth. Standing near the broad, tangled, sandy mass of roots, I looked out over the trunk’s length. On and on it snaked along the ground. Walking its length was a journey of more than 30 steps.
Imagine being this tall, thrusting so far away from the ground. As I bent down and felt the furrowed bark along the tapering trunk, I thought how seldom I am this close to the top of a giant tree. Typically, I can observe a tree’s top only from far below. Those top branches are so far away. And here is the top of the tree, right beside me, so close, resting on the ground.
I love the chestnut oaks that dominate the forest near our house, whether standing and flourishing in leafy extravagance, or lying dead on the ground. Even this tree, the flow of life through its trunk stilled, feeds my spirit.–April Moore