Cork tree: a unique plant life

A tree is one of those building materials that have been known to mankind since ancient times. Volumes of its consumption are growing every year, and therefore many species are on the verge of complete extinction.

The latter includes the cork tree, which has been used by man for thousands of years.

It refers to the genus of oaks. The difference from relatives is that by about five years, its branches and trunk are covered with a thick bark with unique properties. But you can shoot it only by the age of 20. Note that this can be done up to the age (tree, of course) 200 years!

After the first collection, it takes at least 8-9 years, during which the bark is regenerated. A tree aged 170-200 years gives approximately 200 kg of high quality raw materials.

The peculiarity of this oak is also that it belongs to the evergreen species. The leaves resemble those of Russian oaks, but the bottom is covered with a significant layer of down. The cork tree itself is quite large: the height can reach 20 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is a meter.

The Latin name is Quercus suber. It grows at a height of no more than 500 meters above sea level. Most of all oaks of this species are found in Portugal, which causes the country's budget to receive large cash inflows, resulting from the export of cork, which annually increases its value.

The man has known since ancient times that the cork tree gives this valuable raw material, but because it has long been cultivated culturally. Note that there is a false representative of this genus, Q. crenata, which is fairly widespread in southern Europe. The cork layer is so small that the tree is bred exclusively for decorative purposes.

Only in Portugal, Quercus suber oak plantations employ more than 2 million hectares! In addition, approximately the same number of territories is used for this purpose throughout Southern Europe.

Over the year, all plantations produce more than 350,000 tons of bark, but this amount has long been short of to meet demand. That's why the wild-growing cork tree was almost completely destroyed.

By the way, what is the uniqueness of cork as a material? The fact is that it is a natural polymer, the structure of which resembles a honeycomb in a bee hive.

Each cubic centimeter of this material can contain up to 40 million of these honeycombs, which are delimited between themselves by means of partitions from the cellulose component.

Simply put, each capsule is filled with air, so that even a small piece of cork is very elastic. This property gives the material a complete watertightness and the ability to restore the original state even after strong pressure.

That is why the cork tree (the photo of which is in the article) has received such wide appreciation from the furniture makers.

In addition, the composition of the bark includes suberin (a mixture of fatty acids, waxes and alcohols). It is unique in that it gives the wood refractory and antipark properties. There are cases when, in forest fires, the cork oaks remained completely intact, except for the scorched cortex and dried leaves from the heat.

Thus, the bark of the cork tree is a unique material, given to man by nature.