How often can cork bark be harvested from cork oak trees?
A. Every year, just like grapes
B. Once every 50 years
C. Once every 3 years
D. Once every 9 years
D.
Cork oak trees can be harvested for the first time for cork bark after about 25 years. Thereafter, the tree bark is harvested every 9 years. A cork tree will be “stripped,” on average, sixteen times in its 150 to 200 life. There is a saying in Portugal (where most of the world’s cork oak forests exist) that: Nature got it wrong–there should be a cork harvest every year, but women should have babies just once every nine years.
