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10 EUFORGEN: QuercussuberNEl7WORKThe next meeting, which will focus primarily on the monitoring of progress andfurther planning of the Concerted Action project on Q. suber, will be held in Spain,20-21 February 1997.7. Field tripThe field trip included visits to cork oak stands and to a cork factory.Cork oak stands in Sardinia are of medium to high densities. Management ischaracterized by mixed type composed of high forest and coppice. Reforestation isdone by planting 2-year-old seedlings. Fencing of the reforested area is not used asit would raise the risk of intentional fires. An experiment of putting up iron nets ofabout 2 m high for individual protection of young trees against damage by grazinga ppears to have been successful as shepherds retain their free access to the land.Even so, some cases of destruction of the nets have been observed. The majordrawback with this method is the high price.Streaping coefficients are between 2 and 3. With a 10-12 year period ofstreaping, it is common that cork is sold on site. Some stands show sanitaryproblems but catastrophic situations are rare. Attacks of defoliating insects Tortrixviridana and of Malacosoma neustria were intensive during the spring of 1996.A visit to a private cork factory in Tempio Pausania was another part of the fieldtrip. The region has a very intense cork industry. A whole range of products fromcork was processed in the factory, e.g. stoppers, isolation panels and ornamentalgoods. The management remarked that there was a growing mqrket for corkproducts, including coarse-texture particle boards.Agenda1. Introduction2. Progress in the implementation of the Network workplan and country activities(reports of participants)3. Scope of the Quercus suber Network in the European and Mediterraneanperspective4. First meeting of the Concerted Action (ED/FAIR 1-CT 95-0202) "Europeannetwork for the evaluation of genetic resources of cork oak for appropriate use inbreeding and gene conservation strategies":• Preparation of provenance/progeny field trials• Discussion of experimental design for field trials• Development of database• Conclusions5. Discussion of a new research project proposal to be submitted to ED /FAIR6. Conclusions