It bears the brunt of the sun’s fiery rays. It withstands the icy breath of Old Man Winter. It receives the moon’s benevolent shining. It gazes upon the leaves as they fade from their vibrant green into their faint orange hue. It stands firm when the rains lay their siege. It smiles warmly as the flowers resplendently open their bosoms. It is the mighty oak.

What can compare with this majestic giant? Can a spruce, a maple or even a fir rival this great tree? How many couples have sealed their love with a carving on this aged beast? How great a tragedy when we reduce the raw power of the mighty oak into a sedated bench.

Industrialization, deforestation, urbanization reduce our once pervasive population of oaks into a mere shadow of their ancient numbers. As we destroy our oaks, we distance ourselves from our past. When we cut down something as timeless as an oak, we forget the beauty of the nature of the ancient and we think that the modern picture is the reality.

But what can be discerned from the battle scars of the oak? What history can be uncovered by delving into oak’s treasure trove of memories? How valuable is the oak? How diverse its experiences? How humble its stature? How confident its stance? Surely the oak is the unrivaled king of the forest?

If the oak tree could be compared to the animal kingdom, it would go something like this. A camel, a sloth and a tiger would all meet in a ring. The camel and sloth would suffer a fierce death at the hands of the tiger. The oak tree is the tiger. If the oak tree could be compared to the marine world, it would go something like this. A clownfish, a flounder and a great white shark would meet over an abyss. The shark would devour both the impish flounder and clownfish. So stands the oak tree. If we could compare the oak in terms of great reads, it would go something like this. A skilled rhetorician would pick up a children’s book, a tabloid and a Hugo novel. The subject in question would take great delight in the Hugo novel, but he would quickly discard the tabloid and the children’s book. The mighty oak is the Hugo novel.

Oak trees are unquestionably the greatest in the tree kingdom. Unrivaled in beauty, in strength and in majesty, the oak tree reigns on a throne over all the trees in the forest. It carries its scepter over all the lesser plants; the frail grasses and transient flowers. It’s the William Wallace of great Scottish warriors. It’s the King Arthur of legendary British kings. It’s the Sir Gawain of ideal chivalric knights. The eucalyptus, the bonzai, the birch, the ficus, the dogwood, the cherry, the pine; all cannot match the unquestioned greatness of the mighty live oak tree. Stop. Take in the majesty of the next oak you see. It will be worth you while.