Did you know that trees can be stripped of their bark and that the bark grows back again? That is exactly the process cork comes from.
The cork oak does not have to be felled to obtain cork, because cork materials are made from its bark. The process of separating the bark from the tree is called stripping. The work is done with an axe by specialists. Stripping takes place between May and August, when the tree is in its most active growth period – this is when the bark comes away from the trunk most easily. A cork oak is stripped for the first time at around 25 years of age. The process can then be repeated every eight to ten years, which makes cork renewable. While the bark grows back, the tree becomes a CO2 sink: it absorbs three times as much CO2 as it does with its bark, giving it a negative carbon footprint.
After stripping, the bark is stacked and has to be stored outdoors for at least six months to stabilise and flatten the cork. It can then be processed into various cork materials.
