Quercus suber

Ecology

Natural stands of cork oak can support diverse ecosystems. For example, in parts of northwestern North Africa, some cork oak forests are habitat to the endangered primate Barbary Macaque, Macaca sylvanus, a species whose habitat is fragmented and whose range was prehistorically much wider. In Western Europe, namely in Portugal and Spain, the cork oak forests are home to endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx, the most crytically threatened feline in the world. The tree has a thick, insulating bark that may have been the Cork Oak’s evolutionary answer to forest fires. After a fire, while many of the other tree species merely regenerate from seeds (as, for example, the Maritime Pine) or resprout from the base of the tree (as, for example, the Holm Oak) the Cork Oak branches, protected by cork, quickly resprout and recompose the tree canopy. The quick regeneration of the tree seems to be an advantage compared to other species that, after a fire, return to an initial stage of development.

Harvested cork trees south of Ubrique in Andalusia, Southern Spain, May 2008

Cultivation

The tree forms a thick, rugged bark containing high levels of suberin. Over time the cork cambium layer of bark can develop considerable thickness and can be harvested every 9 to 12 years to produce cork. The harvesting of cork does not harm the tree, in fact, no trees are cut down during the harvesting process. Only the bark is extracted, and a new layer of cork regrows, making it a renewable resource. The tree is widely cultivated in Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, France, Italy and Tunisia. Cork Oak forests cover approximately 25,000 square kilometres in those countries (equivalent to 2.277.700 hectares). Portugal accounts for 50% of the world cork harvest. Cork Oaks cannot legally be cut down in Portugal, except for forest management felling of old, unproductive trees, and, even in those cases, farmers need a special permission from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Cork Oaks live about 150 to 250 years. Virgin cork (or ‘male’ cork) is the first cork cut from generally 25 year old trees. Another 9 to 12 years is required for the second harvest, and a tree can be harvested twelve times in its lifetime. Cork harvesting is done entirely without machinery, being dependent solely on the work of man. It takes around 5 men to havest the tree’s bark. This is done with a small axe, and those involved in the process require a lot of training, as it takes a lot of skill and expertise to harvest the bark without hurting the tree. The European cork industry produces 300,000 tonnes of cork a year, with a value of 1.5 billion and employing 30,000 people. Wine corks represent 15% of cork usage by weight but 66% of revenues.

Cork Oaks are sometimes planted as individual trees, providing a minor income to their owners. The tree is also sometimes cultivated for ornament. Hybrids with Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris) are regular, both in the wild in southwest Europe and in cultivation; the hybrid is known as Lucombe Oak Quercus hispanica. Some cork is also produced in eastern Asia from the related Chinese Cork Oak (Quercus variabilis)

Pathogens

Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden oak death) has reached Europe and could pose a threat to the cork oak.

Gallery

Botanical illustration showing foliage, male and female flowers, and acorn.

Close-up of leaves.

Close-up of acorn.

Close-up of acorns, immature.

Cork Oak, at the base the dark reddish bark left after harvesting is visible (Portugal).

Close-up of the characteristically corky bark.

Close-up at the margin of the harvest (Massif des Maures, France).

Harvested cork.

References

Notes

^ C. Michael Hogan, 2008

^ Santos Pereira, Joo; Bugalho, Miguel Nuno; Caldeira, Maria da Conceio, 2008

^ Santos Pereira, Joo; Bugalho, Miguel Nuno; Caldeira, Maria da Conceio, 2008

^ Abigail Hole, Michael Grosberg and Daniel Robinson, 2007

Sources

C. Michael Hogan (2008) Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus, GlobalTwitcher.com

Abigail Hole, Michael Grosberg and Daniel Robinson. 2007. Tunisia, Edition: 4, Published by Lonely Planet, 344 pages ISBN 1740599209

Santos Pereira, Joo; Bugalho, Miguel Nuno; Caldeira, Maria da Conceio, 2008. From the Cork Oak to cork: A sustainable ecosystem

External links

APCOR Associao Portuguesa de Cortia (Portuguese Cork Association)

Photograph of cork oaks in Portugal

Aronson J., Pereira J.S., Pausas J.G. (eds). 2009. Cork Oak Woodlands on the Edge: conservation, adaptive management, and restoration. Island Press, Washington DC. 315 pp.

WWF priority species profile: Cork

Categories: Quercus | Trees of Mediterranean climate

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