08/07/2025
Cork oak (Quercus suber) forests show us what’s possible when humans live with, not against, nature. 🌳🤎
Cork oaks are native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa, thriving in Mediterranean climates from Morocco to France. But it’s in the Iberian Peninsula that they form vast landscapes shaped by people (called “montado” in Portugal and “dehesa” in Spain) that support biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and the climate.
Their bark is carefully harvested by hand approximately every nine years, allowing the tree time to regenerate without harm. The tree keeps standing, storing carbon, sheltering wildlife, and providing cork again and again.
Cork trees are also fire-resistant, which makes them a natural buffer in a region increasingly vulnerable to heat and drought.
A versatile material, cork is most famously used as a wine stopper, but it's also used in flooring, insulation, fashion, sports equipment, and even as heat shields for spacecraft. Lightweight, renewable, and biodegradable, cork is an alternative to plastic and synthetic materials in countless everyday products.
