The rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg is indigenous to the Amazon basin. During the nineteenth century, Brazil was the main supplier of hevea latex, which was collected through tapping of trees in the natural forest. Rubber seedlings smuggled out of Brazil became the parent planting stock for all rubber plantations developed in Southeast Asian countries at the turn of the twentieth century. The most important rubber producers today are in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia). Today Brazil plays an insignificant role in international markets.
Tapping of rubber trees starts in the fifth to seventh year after planting and then continues for 25 to 30 years. A special knife is used to incise the bark so as to wound the resin canals without damaging the cambium. After 30 years, the tree suffers a decline in latex production - thus making further tapping of the trees uneconomic. The old trees are then removed and replaced with new seedlings. A 30-year old cultivated rubber tree is about 30 m tall with an average branch-free bole of 3 m. The diameter at breast height (dbh) may reach about 30 cm. The stem tends to taper. Young rubber trees have a smooth brown-green bark.
At a typical rubber tapping demonstration, one can observe an expert use a special sickle to slice the bark of the rubber tree and let its milky sap trickle into a container. You can also consider asking for a crash course and have a try for yourself.