GMO Trees Threaten Global Forests
Dec 3, 2013 | Project Censored
Genetically engineered trees are being planted in the southeast
United States to produce paper and the wood pellets used in power
plants. Created by ArborGen, a biotechnology company, these GMO trees
threaten the environment in multiple different ways. GMO trees require
twice as much water as regular trees and spread their pollen and seeds
long distances, resulting in a decrease in tree diversity.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) seems to have accepted
expanded planting of GMO trees, despite their negative consequences,
resulting in significant profits for ArborGen. Critics fear that
ArborGen’s economic success will accelerate the proliferation of
large-scale, chemical-centric, monoculture plantations stocked with
proprietary trees—a lucrative prospect for companies promoting this
technology, but not for the environment.
In 2010, the USDA approved widespread planting of experimental GM
eucalyptus trees, covering 28 open-air test sites across seven southern
states, totaling 330 acres. These field trials, planted by ArborGen,
involved over a quarter million GE eucalyptus trees. (The Center for
Food Safety filed a lawsuit challenging the field trials.) Based on
these field trials, ArborGen, a joint venture of MeadWestvaco Corp and
New Zealand’s Rubicon Ltd, requested permission from the USDA in 2011 to
allow commercial plantings of its freeze-tolerant eucalyptus (FTE). If
permitted, the GE eucalyptus will be the first transgenic forest tree
approved for unrestricted cultivation and will most likely pave the path
for speedy clearance of other GE tree species.
Simply put, GE trees and tree plantations are no substitute for the
myriad complex functions of a forest. The rich diversity of forests
provides an array of ecological services such as building healthy soils;
providing habitat for numerous creatures; performing critical
hydrological functions; purifying air and storing carbon; and many other
features.
Source: Debbie Barker, “Genetically Engineered Trees: The New Frontier of Biotechnology,” Center for Food Safety, November 4, 2013, http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/reports/2637/genetically-engineered-trees-the-new-frontier-of-biotechnology.
Student Researcher: Molly McCormick (Sonoma State University)
Community Evaluator: Vincent Honnold (Retired NASA Researcher)
No comments:
Post a Comment