FROM BARK TO BOTTLE---THE STORY OF CORK

   Can you imagine a tree bark that plays a crucial role in the making of engines, cricket balls, baseballs, and champagne—a bark that was used thousands of years ago by fishermen and elegant ladies alike and that has even been used in outer space? More amazing is the fact that this unique bark can fill all these needs without the tree being felled!

CORK is the outer layer of the bark produced by the cork oak tree. But this is no ordinary bark. It is light, fire resistant, and elastic.

The cork oak generously produces its resilient bark year after year. Unharvested, the bark can grow to be ten inches (25 cm) thick—a useful overcoat for protecting the tree against heat, cold, and forest fires. If harvesters strip the bark, the cork oak gradually grows another coating within about ten years.

Portugal provides about 55 percent of the worldwide cork production, Spain about 30 percent, and other countries (including Algeria, France, Italy, Morocco, and Tunisia) the remaining 15 percent.

Multiple Uses

Romans and Greeks discovered that cork made ideal floats for fishing nets and could make a comfortable sole for sandals. Apparently, they also used cork stoppers for jars. Since it keeps its elastic property even at high temperatures, cork is ideal for engine gaskets. It is also an integral part of heat panels used on certain spaceships.

Because many homeowners appreciate both its appearance and its insulation properties, cork tiles have become popular for decorating walls and floors. Makers of sporting goods also find cork invaluable for the inner core of a baseball or the handle of a fishing rod. Of course, cork is perhaps best-known for its use as a stopper for bottles of wine and champagne.—See the box “The Ideal Stopper.”

Environmentally Friendly

A well-maintained cork forest offers proof that man can work in harmony with nature—harvesting its bounty without despoiling its riches. The old cork oaks beautify the countryside, provide shade and food for the cattle that graze beneath their boughs, and temper the harsh summer climate.

Several birds in danger of extinction—including the imperial eagle, the black vulture, and the black stork—depend on large cork oaks for suitable nesting sites. The endangered Iberian lynx also finds its last strongholds in forests of these oaks. Recently, the World Wildlife Fund stated that the survival of this species of lynx depends on the prosperity of the cork industry in Spain and Portugal.

So the next time you remove a cork from a bottle of wine, take a moment to appreciate it as a gift from our Creator.  You hold in your hand a natural, biodegradable, renewable object. And its use even serves to protect the environment. What more could you ask from a tree?

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