Cork Harvesting in Portugal

Until a few days ago I believed that cork came from trees that were cut down. I have since learnt that its actually the bark from the tree that provides the cork, each tree is only stripped of the bark every 9-10 years and left to replenish the bark during this time. The bark is an amazing insulation and if there is a forest fire the bark protects the tree. Only the lower trunk is harvested and the crew move quickly from tree to tree with each only taking a few minutes to harvest. The pile of cork that is removed grows very quickly in the yard and is eventually taken and sold.
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