BBC documentary about Cork oak

[David Humphries]

Fascinating look at the industry and ecology around the cork oak woodlands

 

 

BBC iPlayer - Natural World - 2008-2009: 5. Cork - On the Wild Side

 

 

 

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Edited May 21, 2016 by David Humphries

[sean]

I saw this when it was on before, a brilliant and informative programme about a unique landscape and cultural heritage. It was after watching it that I made a conscious decision to only buy wine with Corks, a decision made easier by the fact that my favourite Rioja mainly only use corks and not screw tops or plastic.

 

It's a place that is deffo near the top of an ever growing bucket list.

[Kveldssanger]

Sweet. Will watch this now! Got a whole book on cork oaks - this one.

 

[ame]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cork-Oak-Woodlands-Edge-Restoration/dp/1597264784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463823348&sr=8-1&keywords=cork+oak+woodland[/ame]

[David Humphries]

Looks a good book Chris.

 

Agree with your principals and taste Sean, mirrors my own

 

 

Had a lad from Portugal on the team a few years ago who's family owned and managed a cork oak woodland for generations.

 

We have a small twin stemmed one in a walled Mediterranean garden at work.

It's never had its bark stripped, might be interesting to go through the process and put up an interpretation board to let people see a different aspect of the tree and its cultural history.

 

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Edited May 21, 2016 by David Humphries

[sean]

Looks a good book Chris.

 

Agree with your principals and taste Sean, mirrors my own

 

 

Had a lad from Portugal on the team a few years ago who's family owned and managed a cork oak woodland for generations.

 

We have a small twin stemmed one in a walled Mediterranean garden at work.

It's never had its bark stripped, might be interesting to go through the process and put up an interpretation board to let people see a different aspect of the tree and its cultural history.

 

.

 

I think that's a great idea David.

[Kveldssanger]

It'd be great for people to experience the bark being harvested, if it is feasible and can be undertaken by someone with experience. Perhaps a chance to bring in some school classes, for a field trip. If we are to improve the way we deal with the natural world and traditional practices then we need to invoke passion in the young generation - the older generation, in all fairness, is largely a lost cause.

 

No doubt the dehesas and montados are landscapes I really want to visit, and hope to be able to in the coming few years. They really are niche ecosystems with so much value, harbouring not only historical knowledge and cultural practices, but also lots of rare and threatened species that will decline as these fragile ecosystems decline. From reading Hartel & Plieninger's book (European wood-pastures in transition), it is increasingly clear that the profitability of the cork oak woodlands is waning, and land abandonment as farmers move away from their familial lands and into the towns and cities is having huge ramifications for biodiversity and the farming culture.

 

Certainly, if I ever buy wine, it'll have a real cork in the top! If only supermarkets provided honey from these dehesas and montados - that'd support part of the economy! Even an amnesty on fake corks and bottle tops would help.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

They have some at Eden project, I was distracted by them last weekend whilst the little one was captivated by "Andy's dinosaur adventure!"

 

https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/plant-profiles/cork-oak

[sandspider]

Visited a cork oak forest in Portugal a few years ago as part of a university field course. Some lovely old trees, harvested for hundreds of years in some cases. I believe many of the cork oak forests are suffering now, due to reduced usage of real corks in wine.

[David Humphries]

Chris, do you recall this one at the Chelsea Physics Garden, the place where Peter Thomas gave his lecture?

 

 

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[Kveldssanger]

I do indeed! Up near the book shop they have on the site, behind the liquidambar. Didn't notice they actually had corks around the edge of a wound, however!