On Friday, 25 May 2012, Dr Chris Bourke MLA, joined His Excellency Professor Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of the Republic of Portugal, and Dr Maria Cavaco Silva, First Lady, in planting a Cork oak in the Central Valley at the National Arboretum.
The President visited Canberra to meet with the Portuguese community and to continue to reinforce relations with our two countries.
The Cork oak can live up to 1000 years. Virgin cork is the first cork cut from generally 25 year old trees. Another 9 to 12 years is required for the second harvest, and a tree can be harvested about 12 times in its lifetime. Cork harvesting is done entirely without machinery, being dependent solely on human labour. Usually five people are required to harvest the tree’s bark using a small axe.
In Western Europe, namely in Portugal and Spain, the cork oak forests are home to endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx, the most critically threatened feline in the world.