# Cork tree income?



## travelling-man

Can any kind soul out there give me a realistic(ish) idea of how much income (and how often) one could expect from cork trees please?


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## siobhanwf

Harvesting is 7-10years. Mostly towards the 10!
The cork tree " gives up" it bark only in July when the trunk of the tree shrinks away from the bark.
Portugal produces more than 50% of all the cork in the world
The unprocessed cork is measured in arroba (an equivalent of 15kg) 
Since 2003 the price of cork fell dramatically, from €44,80 per arroba piled cork to €27,70 in 2009.  The extraction cost are around €4 per @  
This year (2011) the price lies between €25 and €40 per @ (the sign for arroba) depending on the quality.


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## travelling-man

Thanks...... I've had estate agents quoting me figures of several thousand euros per tree and I had my doubts about that (to say the least) ........ and I reckon you've just proved me right.


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## canoeman

And they are protected trees along with a few others so you can't cut them down.


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## Ingles

canoeman said:


> And they are protected trees along with a few others so you can't cut them down.


But the Goverment can , 1000's of them to build the Tua Dam which when completed will supply a fantastic amount of Electricity *0.3%* of Portugal need's


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## siobhanwf

I found an interesting site about cork trees some time ago 
information on cork and cork oak trees in Portugal

Some interesting reading.


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## miradouro

1000 euros a tree is simply a ridiculous claim. Perhaps if you sell the tree to Damien Hirst to preserve in formaldehyde! I was offered 50 euros for the cork on my (massive, c. 200-year old) tree this year: I opted keep the cork on the tree. From what I hear, the only way to make (some) money is to use the land concurrently as a Feder-subsidised _turismo rural_, and to produce high-end iberico ham at the same time.

Like much of the portuguese rural economy (eucalyptus, wine, olives), cork is a top heavy industry with the latifundarians -- in particular a dominant billionaire called Americo Amorim -- at the top, and the poor cork harvesters and _caseiros _ at the bottom (_caseiros _are the nearest thing to indentured labour/serfdom in Europe today). Any montado-owners I know have been stockpiling cork for years in the hope that the price will improve... and they began with the commercial advantage of having inherited very large estates. 

If you are seriously thinking about buying a _montado_, try to get a copy of the Monty Don documentary 'Cork: Forest in a Bottle' for the overall picture. As regards the long-term economics of cork, the key phrase to learn is: 'Vinhas das minhas, olivais dos meus pais, montados dos meus antepassados'. 'The vines are mine, the olive trees are from my parents, the cork groves from my (distant) fancestors'. To paraphrase, running a cork forest is more of a calling than a business proposition: playing a role in the stewardship of the countryside and landscape across generations.


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## siobhanwf

travelling-man said:


> Thanks...... I've had estate agents quoting me figures of several thousand euros per tree and I had my doubts about that (to say the least) ........ and I reckon you've just proved me right.



Don't know which is higher on my list....second hand car salesmen or estate agents for overstating things


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