The Montado as an Integration of Ecology and Human Activity

What we know of as “cork” is the bark of the Cork Oak (Quercus Suber L.). Cork harvest centers on manually removing the outer bark layer from the tree. The bark fully regenerates after 9 years. Regular cork harvest allows the forest as a system to expand- growing more robust over time and increasing its effectiveness in trapping greenhouse gasses, supporting biodiversity and life systems in the region, fortifying the soil against desertification, and other forms of resistance and resilience in the face of negative climate trends. A single hectare of cork forest absorbs more than 3 tons of greenhouse gas each year. 

Cork forests also maintain indigenous human wisdom of the natural systems. It is well understood that the first priority in an economically viable cork forest is the protection of the trees- if humans protect the trees, the trees will provide for and protect humans for generations. 

The wide, complex networks of roots and subterranean mycelial networks form effective barriers against soil desertification encroaching from the south. The thick, insulating layer of outer bark acts as a powerful insulating barrier against fire. In this way, cork forests are super-effective means of mitigating the effects of global heating, and could offer solutions applicable in other bioregions across the globe, such as central and northern California, where cork trees thrive. 

Of particular interest is the intersectionality of profit (cork production), planet (protection against wildfire and species extinction) and people (sustainable farming practices and equitable labor). …perhaps expand chapter on industrial design, material use, psychology and aesthetics. 

In 15 years of working with cork, I have come to know some of the communities indigenous to the bioregions of cork farming and production. I am struck by how much value is placed in the embedded, multi-generational wisdom of those that work in the cork forests. To be a descortiçador (native cork harvester) is an economically viable profession within the agricultural regions of central and southern Portugal. Descortiçadores are highly respected by the leaders of the cork industry, and are compensated accordingly. The social justice inherent in this structure offers cues to how other economic sectors might better value indigenous ecological knowledge, allowing stakeholders at various levels to work together in solidarity and mutuality.