CORUCHE, Portugal — The balanced sound of axes whacking trees echoes in the depths of the cork oak forest.
But in Coruche, a rural location south of the Tagus River understood as Portugal’s “cork capital,” the bang of trees falling to the ground doesn’t follow the noise of the ax strokes. Instead, skilled employees thoroughly peel away the bark from the tree trunks.
This yearly rite of drawingout cork in the summertime months hasactually been around for thousands of years in the western Mediterranean. Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans utilized the product to make fishing equipment, shoes and to seal containers, containers and barrels. As glass bottles acquired appeal in the 18th century, cork endedupbeing the chosen sealant duetothefactthat it is resilient, waterresistant, light and flexible.
Now cork is experiencing a revival as more markets appearance for sustainable options to plastic and other products obtained from fossil fuels. The bark is now utilized for floorcovering and furnishings, to make shoes and clothing and as insulation in homes and electrical vehicles. Portugal’s exports reached an all-time high of 670 million euro ($728 million) in the veryfirst half of 2023.
But cork is more than a fashionable green product. In addition to tasks, the forests where it grows supply food and shelter for animals, all while sequestering carbon dioxide. And unlike most trees grown commercially, cork oaks are neverever cut down, significance their carbon storage capability continues through the 200 years or more they live.
With a company swing, Fernando Tacha strikes the trunk of a cork oak, then twists his ax and utilizes the manage to delicately prise the slab.
“I began cutting cork when I was just19 Now I’m69 But I will do this as long as I can,” he states as he cleans the sweat from his forehead. “It’s a tough task, however a gorgeous one.”
A low, slow-growing evergreen tree, the cork oak is endemic to the Mediterranean. The most substantial forests can be discovered on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. In Portugal, the world’s biggest cork manufacturer, the oaks are so valued they were selected as the nation’s nationwide tree and are secured by law, so it’s prohibited to cut them. Spain is the second-largest manufacturer, followed by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy and France.
The procedure of harvesting cork takes accuracy and years of practice. The stroke of the ax should be strong, however likewise fragile to prevent striking the inner bark and damaging the tree. Because it is so specialized, it’s one of the finest paying farming tasks in Portugal.
The bark can just be collected inbetween late May and August, when the tree is in its active stage of development, which makes it simpler to strip the external layer without damaging the tree trunk.
The cork oak is special in its capability to regrow its bark. Once it is eliminated, employees compose the last number of that year with white paint on the exposed golden brown trunk — a 3 indicates it was gathered in2023 The bark will gradually grow back and be prepared for another harvest after 9 years.
Paula Salgueira, who hasactually been working in the cork harvest in Coruche for 35 years, extends her hand to touch an oak that was simply removed. “It’s cold,” she states as she touches the smooth denuded trunk. While axmen work in sets eliminating the cork, Salgueira and a coupleof other ladies collect the slabs in stacks for transport.
The slabs will then be stacked outdoors in storage locations exposed to air and sunshine. After 6 months of aging to getridof moisture, they will be arranged according to their density and quality, then boiled to tidy pollutants and make the product softer and mucheasier to manage.
From bottle stopper to green material
While most cork is still utilized for bottle stoppers, over the last years various markets haveactually been finding brand-new utilizes for it.
“We are seeing a growing interest in cork as a sustainable material,” states Rui Novais, a products specialist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. “Compared with ma