EU Cork and oak trees dying for unknown reasons: conservation group*

LISBON, Oct 25 (AFP) Oct 25, 2006

Cork and oak trees are losing their leaves and drying up for unknown
reasons at an alarming rate, a World Wildlife Fund official warned
Wednesday at the start of a two-day conference in Portugal called to
discuss the issue.

The problem is killing trees in Portugal, the world's biggest producer
of cork, as well as in Mediterranean countries in southern Europe, said
Luis Silva, the global conservation group's forest officer for Portugal.

"We don't know yet if it is a disease or if the mortality is caused by
climatic factors and this is why the issue is being studied," he told
the Lusa news agency at the conference held in the southern town of Evora.

The gathering was organized by the World Wildlife Fund together with the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Association for
Mediterranean Forests and Portugal's agriculture ministry.

It is being attended by experts from Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria,
Tunisia and the United States.

"This conference aims to boost the scientific discussion of the problems
of the abnormal mortality affecting coark and oak plantations,"
Portugal's agriculture ministry said in a statement.

Portugal produces 160,000 tonnes of cork per year. Neighbouring Spain is
the second-biggest producer of cork followed by Algeria, Italy, Morocco,
Tunisia and France.