Cork and the Cork Tree

Book excerpt: Cork and the Cork Tree, Volume 4 provides the important general information about cork based on the author's 30 years of experience with cork, cork trees, and the cork industry. This book is organized into two main parts encompassing 15 chapters that specifically cover the planting and growing cork trees in the United States through the McManus Cork Project. This book presents first a brief history of cork, cork products, and the cork industry. The subsequent chapters deal with the geographical distribution, a description of the tree, its cultivation and the harvesting of the cork bark. These topics are followed by discussions on the botanical aspects of the cork tree, the characteristics of the tree, and the methods of its culture, as well as the physic-chemical properties of the cork. The concluding chapters focus on the manufacture and applications of cork products. This book will be of value to chemists and cork manufacturers.