Quercus suber - Cork oak

Cork oak (Quercus suber) is a slow-growing evergreen Mediterranean tree best known for its thick bark, which is harvested as cork every 6-12 years without felling the tree. The acorns are edible once processed and are also used as livestock fodder.

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 7¹
• Hardiness zone 8¹
• Hardiness zone 9¹
• Hardiness zone 10¹

Outputs

• Human food
• Bark¹
• Acorn¹
• Fodder¹
• Wood¹

Type

• Quercus spp. - Oaks
• Tree
• Evergreen

Functions

• Windbreak¹
• Wildlife habitat¹
• Fire resistance²

Footnotes

1. Quercus suber | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

2. Catry, F.X. et al., Cork Oak Vulnerability to Fire: The Role of Bark Harvesting, Tree Characteristics and Abiotic Factors, PLOS ONE, 2012 — its thick bark insulates the living tissue underneath from fire ↩