What can we expect from the evolution of cork oak forests in the coming years? Find out about the main trends and challenges that will impact the Montado (typical Portuguese name for this type of forest), one of the richest ecosystems in the world.
Summary:
- Cork oak forest characteristics
- Trends
- Challenges
- Measures to improve cork oak forests’ climate performance
- Conclusion
1. Cork oak forest characteristics
Cork oak forests cover a small area of the planet, but they’re extremely important for the products and services they offer. They are found in the warmer areas of the western Mediterranean, especially on the Iberian Peninsula, in Morocco, Italy, France, Algeria and Tunisia.
These forests cover approximately 2.123 million hectares globally, with 67 per cent in Europe and 33 per cent in North Africa.
Cork oaks thrive in regions with more than 600 mm of annual rainfall and average temperatures of around 15°C, generally below 800 metres in Europe. They grow on acidic soils, such as granite and schist, and less frequently on limestone.
Cork, the bark of the cork oak, evolved to protect the tree from fire and drought, and is a highly insulating material. It is waterproof, buoyant, resistant to fire and abrasion, as well as being compressible, elastic and durable. The bark of the cork oak regenerates after stripping, allowing the trees to reach ages of over 200 years.
Cork oak forests are exploited in agro-forestry systems, combining the cultivation of cork oaks with grazing and cereal production. As well as cork, the Montados produce meat, cereals, mushrooms, asparagus, honey and medicinal herbs. These forests are therefore economically diversified and sustainable ecosystems.
2. Trends
Nos próximos anos, será expectável que as florestas de sobreiros sejam impactadas por estas tendências:
Sustainable management
There’s a growing focus on practices that promote the sustainability of the Montado, such as natural regeneration, preserving biodiversity and combating desertification. This includes the use of maintenance techniques that encourage a balance between cork production and ecosystem conservation.
Climate resilience
As climate change progresses, cork oak forests are facing challenges such as rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and an increased risk of fires. Adapting these forests will be crucial to ensuring their survival. This may include selecting resistant species and implementing practices that mitigate climate impacts.
Acknowledgement and valorisation
The ecological, economic and cultural importance of the cork oak forest is increasingly recognised globally. This can result in robust conservation policies, economic incentives for owners and a focus on preserving these unique ecosystems.
New products and innovation
Exploring new uses for cork, beyond stoppers and flooring, is an emerging trend. The development of innovative products, such as sustainable building materials, applications in biotechnology and new forms of use in the textile industry, is something we can expect in the coming years.
Sustainable tourism
Cork oak forests, with their rich biodiversity and unique landscapes, are becoming a point of interest for ecotourism. This can generate new economic opportunities for local communities, while raising awareness of the importance of conserving these ecosystems.
3. Challenges
Natural cork oak landscapes are located in the Mediterranean basin, a region that is very sensitive to climate change. Climate change modelling suggests that the Mediterranean region will be affected by changes in:
- Rainfall patterns: total reduction, annual redistribution, greater inter-annual variation and more frequent and prolonged droughts, etc.
- Temperature patterns: increase in average temperature, more frequent heat waves, etc.
- Frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena: storms, forest fires, etc.
High CO2 concentration and CO2 fertilisation
Plants’ initial response to elevated CO2 is to increase their rate of carbon assimilation and decrease transpiration, or water loss, which would suggest greater productivity and better water efficiency. However, studies indicate that the combined changes in temperature and rainfall over the coming decades will modify, and often limit, this direct effect of CO2 on plants.
The irregular rainfall patterns that characterise the Mediterranean will be exacerbated by climate change, which will increase not only the severity of plant water stress, but also the rate of nutrient loss from the soil. All these factors combined seem to suggest greater cork oak mortality or, at the very least, a loss of primary productivity.
The effects of rising temperatures on the carbon balance of the cork oak may be negative in summer, due to an increase in plant respiration in relation to carbon absorption and assimilation, and positive in autumn and winter, by reducing the limitations to photosynthesis related to low temperatures.
Increased frequency of forest fires and other natural disasters
The frequency of extreme meteorological phenomena, such as windstorms, severe droughts or long periods of heat, is likely to increase in the future. Such extreme conditions, together with an increased meteorological risk of fires, will increase the risk of productivity losses due to tree mortality and subsequent soil degradation.
Cork oaks are recognised for their resistance to fire. However, despite this resistance, there is always some mortality associated with fire. Mortality rates can vary according to the density and state of health of the trees before the fire, the density of the fuel and the meteorological conditions at the time of the fire. Thus, an increase in the frequency and/or intensity of the fire will inevitably lead to an increase in mortality.
Effects on communities and ecosystems
Cork oaks play a fundamental role in the ecological communities they inhabit. Despite being under-studied, changes in their behaviour can have significant effects on the community and the ecosystem. For example, communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi, responsible for improving resource acquisition by cork oaks, can change in response to drought and soil warming, modifying their role in nutrient absorption.
Temperature changes can also induce uncoordinated changes in the phenology of the organisms in interaction. For example, infection by pathogenic fungi, such as Phytophthora cinnamon (one of the main root disease agents affecting cork oaks) and Armillaria mellea, is favoured by warm and humid conditions, which means that in the Mediterranean area, the risk of invasive pathogens can increase, affecting the resilience of the cork oak.
4. Measures to improve cork oak forests’ climate performance
To meet the challenges that cork oaks may face in the future, it is crucial to promote sustainable management practices for these natural landscapes, such as:
- Promoting natural regeneration to allow genetic variability and the possible selection of drought-tolerant genotypes, as well as future evolution towards equilibrium with a new environment;
- Careful planning of planting and selection of suitable genotypes combined with natural regeneration to encourage migration that avoids stress;
- Creating corridors to avoid habitat fragmentation;
- Promoting the health and vitality of the cork oak;
- Forest management adapted to land use;
- Reducing fire risks;
- Diversifying employment opportunities in the forestry sector;
- Providing public financial support for cork oak forests.
5. Conclusion
In short, the future of the Montado faces a confluence of challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, sustainable management and adaptation to climate change will be essential to preserve these unique forests, while innovation in cork products and ecotourism open up new possibilities. However, threats such as the increased frequency of fires and climate change require proactive measures to guarantee the resilience and longevity of these vital ecosystems. The protection and valorisation of the Montado will be fundamental to its continuity in the coming years.
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