Portugal's cork forests are a carefully protected resource. The paramount importance of the cork industry to the Portuguese economy had led to strict regulation of the growth and management of cork trees.

The cork oak has been protected to some extent since the early 13th century. Today, Portuguese law bans cultivation of forest groves on hillsides, uphill from water courses or where tilling may loosen the soil excessively. It is illegal to harvest the bark on young trees or cut down a cork oak other than for essential forest thinning or if the tree is decrepit from age.

The mature tree may only be harvested for its bark once every nine years and only when the tree is healthy.

The laws also require that farmers obtain a special licence to convert land from cork forestry to other forms of agriculture.

In addition to these laws, the European Cork Industry Federation (C.E. Liege) — through its Project Quercus — has developed a code of good practice for cork production, supported by an independently audited system of accreditation called Systecode.

With the help of reafforestation programs funded by the European Union and the Portuguese Government, the area of cork forest under cultivation in Portugal is growing by about four per cent a year.

Today, new trees are being planted at twice the rate at which old trees are dying.

Contrary to a common misconception, it is estimated there is currently sufficient harvestable cork in Portugal's cork forests to meet market demand for more than 100 years.

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