Radial variation of wood density components and ring width in cork oak trees

– The radial variation of ring width and wood density was studied in cork oaks (Quercus suber) using microdensitometry. The observations were made in young never debarked cork oaks (30–40 years of age) and in mature trees under cork production (37–60 years of age). The cork oak wood is very dense (mean ring density 0.86 g.cm−3 , between 0.79 g.cm−3 and 0.97 g.cm−3 ) with a small intra-ring variability (mean earlywood density 0.80 g.cm−3 and latewood density 0.90 g.cm−3 ). The density components decreased from pith to bark more rapidly until the 15th ring, and then only slightly. There were no significant differences in the mean density components between never debarked trees and trees under cork production but their outwards decrease was accentuated in the never debarked trees. The annual growth was high, with a ring width mean of 3.9 mm (4.2 mm in the first 30 years) and the latewood represented 57% of the annual growth.