The Effects of Drought on Cork Growth – How Climate Change Impacts the Cork Forest….

Mediterranean regions have a growing number of extreme weather events due to rapid change of
climate. Cork oak, which is located in the western Mediterranean area, has become a very valuable
resource within the western Mediterranean forests. Therefore, assessment of the impacts of climate
extremes upon cork oak can help us produce better forest management practices for coping with future
climate change, and to achieve the purpose of sustainable development of the ecosystems and societies
within the Mediterranean area in the future. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of how
climate affects cork oak, climate extremes are investigated for western Mediterranean regions,
especially Portugal and Northwest Africa.