cork, & why it's so expensive

[rubberguy]

this might be 1 reason...

http://www.youtube.com/user/aNarkonu.../0/bqF3SGFigdY

[Mark Kranhold]

Pretty labor intensive. For how long those oaks take to grow they are probably in a shortage of trees. Lots of wine companies are going to the synthetic stuff as well.

[Mike O]

UC Davis has cork trees...weirdest dang looking trees.

[DLJeff]

Does removing the bark kill the tree? I remember when my son was in Scouts, they had a day in a camp area above Berkeley. There is a loop trail around the camp and the ranger told us there are some very old cork trees up on the ridge line. Evidently, these trees were brought here by the Spanish hundreds of years ago.

[Mark Kranhold]

There are quite a lot of cork oak trees throughout the Sacramento valley, you just need to keep your eye out for them. Pretty cool looking trees. I'm sure once the bark is removed the insects have a hay day on the fresh wood.

[wineslob]

In Chico we have a grove of Cork Oaks.

http://www.friendsofbidwellpark.org/lostarboretum.html

[OceanSunfish]

Some years ago, a leading provider of rod building supplies explained to me that the particular country that produces most of the top end cork for rod handles (flor) and wine making was not up to speed with future planning for their natural resource. In other words, they continued to harvest the old growth groves like they've done for ages not thinking about current world demand or future demand (especially wine) by not planting new trees systematically so that trees matured at different intervals insuring a constant supply..... They just kept on doing what they've been doing..... Of course, when the old groves die off...... it may take decades for a new tree to be productive.

Shortness of supply with ongoing demand drives the prices higher to at least $2 an inch for normal grade stuff with filler.... flor being much higher.

Wine industry had no choice but to find an alternative synthetic 'cork'. Not a bad thing since the synthetic 'cork' is a better seal and doesn't produced a 'corked' bottle. Shoot, screw caps are pretty good too, but it's not appealing.

I really like the full-on graphite handled rods that are being produced for salmon/steelhead rods out of the NW. Light, durable, and wash off nicely. Shrink tubing works good too, but somehow I just don't think there's an acceptable substitute to Flor on a $800 fly rod.

[BobVP]

Having lived in Tunisia for a short time I can assure you that the cork oaks live long, long lives and that harvesting the bark on regular cycles seems to do little harm. There are trees in southern Spain and in Portugal that into their second thousand years!
Driving through the cork areas when the harvest is one is a beautiful experience, watching the care they strippers take with each tree and then each section of bark.
Some trees in Tunisia are pasted down through generations just like the olive trees in certain families. (I know of some olive trees that have been in families for more than 400 years...there are probably older)
Certainly one reason for the upsurge in price is the new floor market that is relying on more cork for not just a finish material but also for an allergen free underlay.
I have some beautiful cork I have been selling over the years...Grade "B" then and considered better than AAA now. Though I don't build rods I have received a few photos from folks that have used the handles and it is very gratifying to see it used and the beauty it bestows.

[Slice]

Does removing the bark kill the tree? I remember when my son was in Scouts, they had a day in a camp area above Berkeley. There is a loop trail around the camp and the ranger told us there are some very old cork trees up on the ridge line. Evidently, these trees were brought here by the Spanish hundreds of years ago.

Camp Hermes? We recently rebuilt the main building for the scouts there and a few of us went back and built a bathroom/shower at the campground part of it up the loop you are talking about. Great place. Amazing little slice of nature in an urban area.

Sorry, off topic, yes cork, awesome stuff, very "sustainable" apparently, major points if you use it in a building.

I've built a few rods using the store bought cork handles and recently built one and turned a split cork handle, ill never buy a premade handle again. It's pretty fun to work with. Ill have to post some pics at some point. I would be interested in seeing some of your cork BobVP. Jim