The Cork Tree is Never Felled

Have you wondered about how cork is harvested?  Do you worry about heavy machinery chipping away at a natural habitat?  Well have no fear!  The cork tree is a renewable source of material, as the actual tree is never cut down.  Only the outer bark of the tree is carefully removed by hand to ensure that the core of the tree and the tree itself is never harmed.  Strict laws govern how cork can be harvested and when it can be taken.  

All AmCork cork floating flooring and wall covering products are all natural cork and made by harvesting only the bark of the cork oak, the tree itself is never felled. The bark requires periodic harvesting in order to preserve the longevity of the tree. Bark is harvested about once a decade from the cork oak, and with regular and proper bark harvests, the trees live for more than a century.

Cork is an eminently renewable resource harvested from the living bark of the Cork Oak. The properties of cork are derived naturally from the structure and chemical composition of the inner cells. Each cubic centimeter of cork’s honeycomb structure contains between 30 and 40 million polyhedral (14 sided) cells (over 100 million cells per cubic inch). Cork is harvested in a steady cycle that promotes healthy growth to the tree over its expected lifespan of over 200 years. Though the Cork Oak "Quercus suber" can flourish in many climates, the conditions that favor commercial use lie in a fairly narrow swath that cuts through Western Europe and Northern Africa along the Mediterranean coast.

Read more about how cork is harvested and watch an amazing video on the harvesting of the cork oak bark.  We thank you for your interest and encourage you to ask any other questions that may be on your mind.  We are here to help you in your selection of the perfect cork flooring and wall covering options for your home and office!