In the 1870s, the first successful rubber tree plantations outside of South America were established after tens of thousands of Hevea brasiliensis seeds were smuggled out of Brazil. Today, most of the world’s natural rubber is harvested from trees grown in parts of Southeast Asia often collectively referred to as the rubber belt. The plantations in these areas are usually very large, and workers obtain the important material by regularly tapping the trees. The process of tapping, if carried out properly, does not adversely affect tree health. The latex flows through special ducts located outside of the cambium so that it can be accessed through relatively shallow incisions without harming the growing cells that generate the tree’s vascular system.