Cork Stripping Research Articles

Analysis of cork quality and cork tree health in stands of western Spain

Good knowledge of the factors that influence cork quality and the health of forests is essential when making decisions regarding the management of productive cork oak forests. The quality of cork planks depends on: plank thickness, plank porosity and the presence of anomalies. So far, no studies have evaluated cork quality based on cork anomalies, partly due to the difficulty of obtaining adequate data. In 1985, it was developed the first Cork Quality Field Assessment Plan (CQFAP) to provide information about the quality of harvested cork by collecting data of very high quality. This work analyzes the anomalies present in 2049 cork sampling units collected from ten stands under the CQFAP for the period 1986–2012 in three consecutive cork stripping cycles. Data on diseases, pests and stripping damages are also analyzed in the 654 trees where cork sampling units were collected in the third stripping cycle. Additionally, mean monthly temperature and precipitation values for the 35 years covering the three stripping periods were calculated. A progressive deterioration of cork quality was observed in the sampled cork oak stands. It was found a positive relationship between cork thickness and temperature indicating that the cork growing period could be extended when temperatures are moderate. Sampled cork oaks were more affected by Cerambycidae attacks and Coraebus undatus indicating their prevalent nature. The presence of Coraebus undatus were higher in stands with good health status. The studied diseases were Biscogniauxia mediterranea, Phytophthora sp. and fungi of the family Botryosphaeriaceae, finding a not previously reported correlation between the presence of Crematogaster scutellaris and the three studied diseases. Stripping damages increase with smaller cork thickness but climate is not a decisive factor for a proper stripping. Although having room for improvement, the CQFAP is proving to be an effective tool for assessing the quality of cork, the health status of cork oak forests and the evolution of these forests over time. The information provided could be also used to identify places worthy of further studying. The main recommendation for improving the CQFAP would be to monitor the same trees in each consecutive sampling for properly monitoring cork thickness and the presence of defects to be used as a proxy for tree health. Regarding forest management, the main recommendations would be to extend the length of stripping cycles to enhance cork production, and to use the new tools and systems for cork stripping to reduce damage.

Effects of cork oak stripping on tree carbon and water fluxes

Cork is a high value periodical forest product which ensures the economic, social and ecological sustainability of cork oak woodlands. Abiotic and biotic stresses lead to tree decline which is endangering the productivity and sustainability of these ecosystems. It is therefore critical to find and implement management practices that minimize the impact of these stresses. The current study was conducted in a certified evergreen cork oak woodland of central Portugal under Mediterranean climate. The main aims of the study were to assess the effects of cork stripping in tree water and carbon fluxes. Results are based on the monitoring of cork stripped and unstripped (control) trees. The experiment was repeated with different sets of trees during two contrasting summers (2014 and 2015). 2014 was a wet year (924 mm) with a typical summer drought pattern and 2015 a dry year (440 mm) with a 31% reduction in annual average precipitation. In 2015 the experimental site was entirely cork harvested and effects on ecosystem CO2 fluxes were evaluated. Results showed that the amount of carbon in harvested cork represents less than 1.5% of net primary production on a yearly basis. In addition, cork tissue is very low demanding in nutrients: primary macronutrients content in cork represents approximately 2% of the yearly nutrient needs of leaf canopy. Regardless of the climatic year, trunk water losses following cork stripping amounted to only 2% of canopy transpiration not affecting significantly summer tree water balance. However, cork stripping induced a 46% decrease on sap flow in the dry year suggesting that cork stripping triggered an increase in stomatal closure through an interaction between stripping traumatic effects and soil water scarcity. Although the effects of summer drought on carbon sequestration are more prominent than cork stripping effects, this superimposed stress led to a significant reduction of summer net carbon ecosystem exchange (ca. 32%). Our results suggest that cork stripping detrimental effects can be especially critical in more vulnerable trees growing near their vitality breakdown threshold. Therefore, and concerning cork oak woodland management, the cork stripping practice should be avoided in severe dry years and in the more stress-prone trees.

Road verges provide connectivity for small mammals: A case study with wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) in an agro-silvo pastoral system

Roads disrupt landscape connectivity for many terrestrial mammals. These infrastructures can be barriers to movement thereby threatening population persistence. Nonetheless, small mammals may use road verges as habitat or corridor, thus increasing migration across intensively managed landscapes. However, in well-preserved habitats where road verges show a similar vegetation structure to surrounding areas, their role is still unknown. Road verges would have an important role as fine-scale connectivity providers for small mammals in a well-preserved habitat depending on land management on road surroundings. We aimed to quantify the effects of road verges and paved lanes on the fine-scale landscape connectivity for the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) in a well-preserved Mediterranean woodland. Additionally, we assessed the impact on connectivity of vegetation cutting on verges and of management in surrounding areas (i.e. firebreaks, grazing, ploughing and cork stripping). We quantified connectivity using graph theory based on two years of capture-recapture data. We compared a set of connectivity metrics (derived from the probability of connectivity index) in a road area and in a virtual roadless scenario. We found that the presence of the road reduced overall fine-scale landscape connectivity, acting as a partial barrier for wood mice movement. However, verges had a key role in promoting movement on road surroundings. Vegetation cutting on verges, and land ploughing in the surrounding landscape were the only management activities compromising connectivity. Our study supports the already known role of road verges as habitat corridors for small mammals. However, it goes beyond existing knowledge by quantifying the connectivity enhancement provided by road verges and demonstrating that this role is highly relevant even in well-preserved landscapes. Therefore, our findings emphasize the critical role of road verges and suggest important management options to enhance landscape connectivity for small mammals.

Variation of cork quality for wine stoppers across the production regions in Portugal

Cork production and technological quality were characterized following a field sampling covering the whole area of cork oaks in Portugal (six regions), with one site per 20,000 ha of cork oak area (30 sites), using samples taken from the tree at the time of cork stripping (20 trees per site). The following quality parameters were determined: thickness of the raw cork planks, calliper of the cork planks after boiling, cork growth index, i.e., growth of the first 8 complete years, density and porosity. The cork growth index was 28.6 mm, with significant differences between regions and sites within regions. A production cycle of 9 years was applied to 51% of the trees with annual productivity of 0.93 kg m−2 year−1 of debarked surface, 30.3 mm raw cork plank thickness, 33.9 mm corkboard calliper, 251 kg m−3 density and a porosity coefficient of 5.8%. For all the cork quality parameters analysed, the regions and sites within regions were a significant factor of variation. This research covers the natural variability of cork production features for industrial processing, namely for the production of wine stoppers. It is the most extensive work characterizing the geographical variation of cork as an industrial raw-material. The results are useful for optimizing the production cycle and for improving management practices and regulations.

Analysis of raw cork production in Portugal and Catalonia using life cycle assessment

This study aims to (1) evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the three types of raw cork produced in Portuguese cork oak woodlands (in Alentejo region) considering two alternative practices for stand establishment (plantation and natural regeneration), (2) compare the environmental impacts of raw cork production in Portuguese cork oak woodlands and in Catalonian cork oak forests, and (3) assess the influence of different allocation criteria for partitioning the environmental impacts between the different types of raw cork produced. A cradle-to-gate approach was adopted starting with stand establishment up to cork storage in a field yard. The system boundaries include all management operations undertaken during the following stages: stand establishment, stand tending, cork stripping, and field recovery. The allocation of the environmental impacts to reproduction, second, and virgin cork was based on mass and market price criteria. An alternative allocation approach was simulated by allocating environmental impacts also to the wood produced in the cork oak stands. The impact assessment was performed using the characterization factors recommended by the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD). In Portugal, cork produced from naturally regenerated stands has a better environmental performance than cork produced from planted stands, but the differences are smaller than 10 %. Different management models of cork oak stands in Portugal and Catalonia (agro-silvopastoral system and forest system, respectively) originate different impact levels, which tend to be significantly lower in Catalonia. The environmental hot spots in the two regions are also distinct. In Catalonia, they are associated with cleaning, road maintenance, and worker and cork transport. In Portugal, they are fertilization, pruning, and cleaning. The two allocation criteria affect significantly the results obtained for virgin cork in Portugal and for virgin and second cork in Catalonia. Besides, when impacts are also allocated to wood, mass allocation should be avoided as it would not create incentives for a sustainable management of cork oak stands. The environmental impact from Catalonian cork may be reduced by decreasing mechanized shrub cleaning and road maintenance operations through the introduction of livestock in cork oak forests, and also by a better planning of management operations. For the Portuguese cork, improvements may be achieved by optimizing fertilizer dosage, planting nitrogen-fixing crops and pastures that improve soil quality, avoiding unnecessary operations, improving the efficiency of management operations, and increasing tree density.

Variability of the compression properties of cork

The variability of the compression properties of cork was determined after field sampling covering the main production area in Portugal (10 sites) with samples taken from 20 trees per site at the time of cork stripping. In all cases, cork showed compressive stress–strain curves typical for cellular materials, which are characterized by an approximately “elastic” region up to a 5 % strain, followed by a large plateau up to 70 % strain caused by progressive buckling of cell walls, and a steep stress increase for higher strains corresponding to cell collapse. The radial direction of compression offered higher strength. The Young’s moduli averaged 10.4 and 9.2 MPa for radial and non-radial directions, respectively, spreading from 3.5 to 22.5 MPa for the non-radial and 4.2 to 21.5 MPa for the radial directions. The geographical location of cork production was the major factor of variability. Density, annual growth ring width and chemical composition influenced compression. Cork samples with higher density showed overall larger resistance to compression. The energy absorbed per unit volume to achieve the maximal deformation with full densification of cork is higher when the average annual ring width is smaller. Cork samples with relatively higher suberin content required less stress for deformation. The results encompass the natural variability of cork and are the most extensive to characterize cork. They allow a better insight into the differences that may explain the variation in cork properties and strengthen its use either in the known applications, i.e. as a sealant, or in novel applications.

New tools for extracting cork from Quercus suber L.: increasing productivity and reducing damage

Aim of study: The aim of this study is to test new tools designed to debark cork oak trees: mechanized tools to perform cutting operations (IPLA-Morell, Stihl MC200 and COVELESS) and manual tools to separate and extract the cork (cork pincers, MIJURO).Area of study: Southwestern Spain.Material and methods: One of the longstanding problems affecting the sector is the shortage of skilled labor to perform debarking due to the difficulty of handling axes and the temporary nature of the work. To overcome these problems, four debarking systems using the new tools were designed according to the morphological properties of cork oak. The viability of the debarking systems were evaluated based on productivity (kg · person–1 · hour–1), production costs (€ · t1) and percentage of pieces smaller than 400 cm2 (%), and compared with the traditional system. Debarking quality and operator experience were also evaluated. A total of 204 trees were debarked.Main results: The new systems obtain better results: productivity is higher, the percentage of pieces is slightly lower and production costs are reduced, except for one system. Debarking quality improves with the new tools as cork is extracted in a more precise and cleaner manner, thus permitting cork manufacturers to obtain higher yields from the cork planks.Research highlights: Semi-skilled operators using the new tools obtain very similar results to skilled operators using axes. This would therefore resolve the problem of the lack of skilled labor, while improving the working conditions of operators. The results demonstrate that the new tools are viable for cork debarking and can bring potential benefits to the sector.Key words: Q. suber L.; cork debarking; mechanization; productivity; cork stripping damage; axe; IPLA_Morell, Sthil MC 200, COVELESS.

Life-cycle assessment of typical Portuguese cork oak woodlands

Cork forest systems are responsible for making an important economic contribution to the Mediterranean region, especially Portugal where the cork oak woodlands or montados contain about 32% of the world's area. The environmental profile derived from reproduction cork production and extraction in two Portuguese regions (Tagus valley and Alentejo) representative of the Portuguese sector were assessed in detail using the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology from a cradle-to-gate perspective. The production line was divided into four stages considering all the processes involved: stand establishment, stand management, cork stripping and field recovery. According to the environmental results, there were remarkable differences between the two production scenarios mainly due to the intensity and repetition of forest activities even though the cork yield was reported to be the same. The management system in the Alentejo region presented the worse environmental profile in almost all the impact categories under assessment, mainly due to the shorter cycle duration of the mechanical cleaning and pruning processes. Cork stripping was identified in both scenarios as the production stage with the highest contribution to the environmental profile due to the cleaning and pruning processes. A sensitivity assessment concerning the cork yield was performed since the average production yields in the Portuguese montados are lower than the ones used in this study. Thus, if the cork yield is reduced, the environmental profile in both scenarios gets worse since almost all the forest activities involved are the same.

Variability of the Chemical Composition of Cork

The chemical composition of cork was determined, following a sampling that covered the whole production area in Portugal (29 provenances from six regions) with samples taken at cork stripping. To analyse between population variations, a more intensive sampling was made in two locations. The overall mean chemical composition of cork was: extractives 16.2% (dichloromethane 5.8%, ethanol 5.9%, water 4.5%), suberin 42.8% (long-chain lipids 41.0%, glycerol 3.8%), and lignin 22.0% (Klason 21.1%, acid soluble 0.9%). The suberin compositional ratio of long chain lipids to glycerol, LCLip:Gly, was 11.3. The proportion of neutral sugars in the polysaccharides was: glucose 46.1%, xylose 25.1%, arabinose 18.0%, mannose 3.0%, galactose 7.3%, and rhamnose 0.5%. The range of values was large and the variation between individual trees seemed to be the major factor of the differences. Geographical location of cork production was statistically significant only in a few cases when considering site and not when considering regions. The population variation in two sites was important and the absolute difference between the site mean values was small. This research covers the natural variability of cork’s chemical composition and discusses the contribution of the structural compounds to the variation of cork properties.

Differences of raw cork quality in productive cork oak woods in Sicily in relation to stand density

Differences of raw cork quality, in terms of thickness and porosity, were observed in productive cork oak ( Quercus suber L.) stands in the Nebrodi and Iblei mountains of Sicily in relation to stand density. Five study areas were chosen across a range of different stand density satisfying specific sampling requirements among two managed cork oak woods.Analysis of variance using Fisher–Snedecor‘s F test ( p < 0.05) were used to identify statistically significant differences of cork quality and sylvicultural, dendrometric and cork stripping parameters between study areas within each stand. Relationships between cork quality and sylvicultural and dendrometric parameters were also tested using Pearson's correlation coefficient ( r). Results shown that sylvicultural practices are a key factor influencing cork quality: statistically significant differences in cork thickness and crown area were observed between areas at different stand density; positive correlations were found between cork thickness and crown area in lower density study areas favouring a significant vegetative activity; negative correlations were found between parameters of cork stripping (cork stripping coefficient, cork stripping surface, maximum height of cork stripping) and cork thickness. No correlations were found between cork porosity and dendrometric or sylvicultural parameters, demonstrating the probable genetic origin of cork porosity. Results shown that cork quality parameters and stand attributes may be used in sustainable management models of cork oak forests.

A conceptual model of sprouting responses in relation to fire damage: an example with cork oak (Quercus suber L.) trees in Southern Portugal

The sprouting response types of 1,151 cork oak (Quercus suber) trees one and half years after a wildfire in southern Portugal were characterised. It was hypothesised that different response types should occur according to the following conceptual model: an increased level of damage (fire severity) on a sprouting tree that suffered a crown fire was expected to be reflected in a sequence of four alternative events, namely (a) resprouting exclusively from crown, (b) simultaneous resprouting from crown and base, (c) resprouting exclusively from base and (d) plant death. To assess whether the level of expected damage was influenced by the level of protection from disturbance, we explored the relationships between response types and tree size, bark thickness and cork stripping, using an information-theoretic approach. The more common response type was crown resprouting (68.8% of the trees), followed by plant death (15.8%), simultaneous resprouting from crown and base (10.1%) and basal resprouting (5.3%). In agreement with the conceptual model, trees which probably suffered a higher level of damage by fire (larger trees with thinner bark; exploited for cork) died or resprouted exclusively from base. On the other hand, trees that were well protected (smaller trees with thicker bark not exploited for cork) were able to rebuild their canopy through crown resprouting. Simultaneous resprouting from the crown and base was determined mainly by tree size, and it was more common in smaller trees.

The effect of cork-stripping damage on diameter growth of Quercus suber L.

Summary The Mediterranean cork oak (Quercus suber L.) agro-forestry system is oriented towards cork production, with cork being extracted from tree stem and branches as planks by cutting with an axe and stripping off. The effect of damage to the tree during cork stripping was studied in cork oaks, weakened by wounding, by following the diameter growth and its seasonality during a 9-year production cycle, and comparing them with healthy cork oaks. Tree wounding decreased diameter growth during the following cycle, e.g. 8.5 mm a ‐1 and 9.8 mm a ‐1 for weakened and healthy trees, respectively, mostly in the 2 years immediately following the cork stripping. The beginning of annual growth in spring and the occurrence of the highest increments in June‐August were delayed by about 1 month in the weakened trees. The cork produced by weakened trees was reduced by 13 per cent in thickness, with average cork ring widths of 3.3 mm a‐1 vs. 3.8 mm a‐1 for healthy trees.