Question

Leopold talks about burning the good oak, the process of cutting it down, and how it will one day return to him in a different form. What is the significance of these detailed descriptions, and what do they illustrate about ecosystems?

Answer 1

Leopold saw through the rings of the good oak, and realized that humankind's conflicts are arbitrary from the perspective of nature. The good oak adds a layer that describes chronological time: past, present and the future. The tree goes through cycles of seasonal changes; and these repeated cycles results in the oak's rings: one ring for each year.

Step-by-step explanation:

Leopold's good oak educated people about land ethics and the cycling of matter and energy through an ecosystem in predator-prey relationship.