A Sanctuary of Trees: Beechnuts, Birdsongs, Baseball Bats, and Benedictions

by Logsdon, Gene

• ISBN13: 9781603584012
• ISBN10: 1603584013
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-10
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

Summary

As author Gene Logsdon puts it, "We are all tree huggers." But not just for sentimental or even environmental reasons. Humans have always depended on trees for our food, shelter, livelihood, and safety. In many ways, despite the Grimm's fairy-tale version of the dark, menacing forest, most people still hold a deep cultural love of woodland settings, and feel right at home in the woods.In this latest book, A Sanctuary of Trees, Logsdon offers a loving tribute to the woods, tracing the roots of his own home groves in Ohio back to the Native Americans and revealing his own history and experiences living in many locations, each of which was different, yet inextricably linked with trees and the natural world. Whether as an adolescent studying at a seminary or as a journalist living just outside Philadelphia's city limits, Gene has always lived and worked close to the woods, and his curiosity and keen sense of observation have taught him valuable lessons about a wide variety of trees: their distinct characteristics and the multiple benefits and uses they have.In addition to imparting many fascinating practical details of woods wisdom, A Sanctuary of Treesis infused with a philosophy and descriptive lyricism that is born from the author's passionate and lifelong relationship with nature: There is a point at which the tree shudders before it begins its descent. Then slowly it tips, picks up speed, often with a kind of wailing death cry from rending wood fibers, and hits the ground with a whump that literally shakes the earth underfoot. The air, in the aftermath, seems to shimmy and shiver, as if saturated with static electricity. Then follows an eerie silence, the absolute end to a very long life.Fitting squarely into the long and proud tradition of American nature writing, A Sanctuary of Treesalso reflects Gene Logsdon's unique personality and perspective, which have marked him over the course of his two dozen previous books as the authentic voice of rural life and traditions.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vi
Discovering Tranquility	p. 1
Babes in the Woods	p. 15
Going to School in the Forest	p. 27
Woodcutting Days	p. 45
Beginning a Life in the Woods	p. 54
Suburban Wildwood	p. 67
Our Own Sanctuary at Last	p. 91
The Creekside Grove	p. 105
The Flowering of Our Woodlands	p. 115
Naming the Trees	p. 125
How Big a Woodlot for Fuel Independence?	p. 133
The Dark Side of the Woods	p. 151
Your Own Low-Cost Wood Products	p. 160
The Living Architecture of a Tree	p. 171
Practical Wildwood Food	p. 176
Jewels in Wood	p. 195
Starting a Grove from Scratch	p. 203
Keeping the Sanctuary Lamps Burning	p. 214
Index	p. 227
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.