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In
southern
Spain,
within
Andalucia
and
covering
an
area
of
170,200
hectares
is
the
Alcornocales
Natural
Park
(Cork-Oak
Natural
Park).
It
is
the
largest
cork-oak
plantation
in
the
Iberian
Peninsula
and
one
of
the
most
important
in
the
world.
Every
summer
the
bark
harvest
takes
place
here.
Not
all
corks
are
the
same
though.
There
are
varying
degrees
of
quality
and
the
bark
undergoes
a
strict
quality
selection
process
that
determines
its
final
use.
The
best
quality
cork
is
selected
for
use
as
bottle
seals.
The
cork
oak
is
a
typical
tree
of
the
Mediterranean
area
and
without
doubt,
the
pride
and
joy
of
the
natural
park.
It
differs
from
other
species
of
tree
because
of
the
thick
bark
that
covers
its
trunk
and
branches,
from
which
comes
cork,
harvested
every
ten
years.
The
trees
are
first
stripped
of
their
bark
when
they
are
about
30
years
old
and
from
each
harvest,
a
tree
will
produce
around
30
kilos
of
cork,
which
is
still
stripped
by
hand. |
