Insulation that grows on trees

Have you heard about the insulation that grows on trees?! Seriously, it exists.  

Here’s a little video checking out some magical* cork trees. 

A few weeks ago I was in Portugal in a place called Marmelete in the Northern Algarve. 

I got a bit excited after coming across some trees [my wife and daughter less so!]. These are no ordinary trees, these are trees that you can make natural organic insulation from. These are cork trees.  

Ordinarily you might think of these as trees that you make wine corks from. Over the last few years however, they’ve been seeing a resurgence of use as natural insulation for buildings. It is less processed and less environmentally damaging through the manufacturing process. 

If you look at a live cork tree you’ll notice the cut mark where the bark has been removed. The bark is the cork, and is a really good, natural organic insulation material. That’s because cork is really thick and made up of a honeycomb structure consisting of tiny air pockets that retain heat well. This structure is what makes it such a good insulation material. There’s also less chemical processing needed meaning less harm to the environment during manufacture. It makes sense as an insulation material in a lot of different ways.  

What’s also amazing is that cork bark grows back! 10 years after a harvest, and there’s enough to remove again without seriously damaging the tree. It’s really quite amazing that such a tree exists!

So, there you have it, natural, organic insulation material, where it’s grown and made in Portugal.  

PS – I forgot to mention it’s also a breathable insulation material so it’s really good for old buildings with solid walls that need to breathe! Like this project here.

*Ok, ok, insulation that grows on trees is not quite magical but it’s close.