Harvesting cork bark

Great video clearly shows the harvesting process. Cork trees are first harvested when they are about 20 years old. They can be reharvested every nine years or so. In this video you’ll see workers painting a large white “9” on the trunk after the bark has been stripped. This is the year (2009) that the tree was harvested, so they can tell when the same trees are ready for the next harvest. The ones shown in this video would be ready again around 2018. This process can be repeated throughout the life of the tree which is about 200 years. Now that’s sustainability.