Cork Oaks
Portugal is the biggest producer of cork in the world; nearly one third of the total cork oak area is here and one half of the annual harvest of cork comes from here.Cork oaks can live up to 200 years. The tree produces a thick bark that is harvested as cork. It renews itself naturally and the tree doesn't suffer any damage when the bark is stripped. The first harvest takes place when a tree is about 25 years old ( it must be at least 1.20 cm tall and have a circumference of 70 cm). The work should be done by professionals equipped in a special axe. The blade is used to make incisions and the end of the handle helps detach the cork. At least 20 % of the bark is left to protect the tree from drying out. The white painted figures we can see on the tree stand for a year of stripping. After another 10 years the cork can be harvested again, so each tree provides about 15 bark strippings. Good...
