Cork oak
Quercus suber
EmergentClimax
Production
A true long-term anchor: slow, deep-rooted and built to outlive the line. Gives shade, acorns and harvestable cork, and asks little once established - plant it for the decades.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Emergent
- Lifecycle
- Climax
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Loam, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 4.8 – 7
- Min. temperature
- -10°C
- Min. rainfall
- 500 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Prune to a high, clean trunk early on for future cork harvest (first strip at ~25 years, then every 9-12 years); avoid disturbing the root zone.
Watch out for
Very sensitive to root disturbance and waterlogging - avoid deep tilling or compacted/poorly-drained soil near the trunk; slow to reward, needs decades of patience.
Design your line to see how your land fits Cork oak.
Start designing your line →Related species