FORESTS and GENETICALLY MODIFIED TREES FORESTS and GENETICALLY MODIFIED TREES
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FORESTS and GENETICALLY MODIFIED TREES FORESTS and GENETICALLY MODIFIED TREES FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2010 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO. All rights reserved. FAO encourages the reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright materials, and all queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. © FAO 2010 iii Contents Foreword iv Contributors vi Acronyms ix Part 1. THE SCIENCE OF GENETIC MODIFICATION IN FOREST TREES 1. Genetic modification as a component of forest biotechnology 3 C. Walter and M. Menzies 2. Biotechnology techniques 19 R. Meilan, Z. Huang and G. Pilate 3. Genetic containment of forest plantations 35 A.M. Brunner, J. Li, S.P. DiFazio, O. Shevchenko, B.E. Montgomery, R. Mohamed, H. Wei, C. Ma, A.A. Elias, K. VanWormer and S.H. Strauss 4. Engineering trees with target traits 77 L.M. McDonnell, H.D. Coleman, D.G. French, R. Meilan and S.D. Mansfield 5. Integrating genetically modified traits into tree improvement programmes 123 R.D. Burdon and M. LstibĤrek 6. Research, deployment and safety management of genetically modified poplars in China 135 Y. Zheng Part 2. ETHICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS 7. Theoretical and practical considerations of gene flow 147 J.J. Robledo-Arnuncio, S.C. González-Martínez and P.E. Smouse 8. Ethical considerations regarding genetically modified trees 163 C. Gamborg and P. Sandøe 9. Genetically modified trees and associated environmental concerns 177 M. Fladung, H.-L. Pasonen and C. Walter 10. Social, legal and regulatory issues related to transgenic trees 203 R.A. Sedjo 11. Forest biotechnology: more than wood production 217 R. Kellison 12. Regulation for genetically modified forest reproductive material moving in international trade 227 H.-J. Muhs iv Foreword The world’s forests generate substantial economic benefits, and also provide countless ecosystem services and social, cultural and spiritual benefits on which it is more difficult to place an economic value. Aside from being a source of fibre, forests help protect air and water quality, mitigate climate change by storing vast quantities of carbon, and provide a home, temple and playground for many people. Because of these intangible values and the long life span of trees, it is impossible to treat forests as a commodity within an agricultural model. The gap between forests and agricultural systems has become especially clear in the context of genetic engineering. The successful introduction of genetic engineering in agriculture, albeit for a limited number of traits and species, prompted forest scientists and managers to consider its use as a management and production tool in forestry. This subject has generated heated debates and violent reactions, which have often lacked the support of objective information. Furthermore, the existing scientific information has been contradictory, allowing for questions concerning its credibility. The competitive zeal of some biotechnology owners has added more fuel to the debate. In the course of this debate, the term ‘biotechnology’ has often been wrongly used as synonymous with genetic engineering. In light of this confusion, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) has formed a task force to address genetic engineering in forestry. Its mandate is to report and present factual information covering both the scientific and social dimensions of genetic engineering technology (also known as genetic transformation, gene technology or genetic modification). This publication, developed under the auspices of the IUFRO task force, has been created to present independent information gathered from the world’s leading experts on the many facets of this subject. It is not intended to advocate any particular position towards genetic engineering or its application in forestry. Each chapter represents the views of its author(s), and not necessarily those of FAO or IUFRO. The publication is divided into two parts. The first deals with the science of genetic engineering in forest trees: the position of genetic engineering in the biotechnology spectrum, how it is carried out, traits of interest, gene flow, genetic containment, integration of the technology in tree improvement programmes, and experience of its commercialization in China. The second part covers ethical, environmental, social, regulatory and trade aspects, and examines the technology’s potential outside the realm of timber production. v We hope that the material presented here will assist readers in forming their own independent opinions on the place of genetic engineering in forestry. Yousry A. El-Kassaby José Antonio Prado Professor, Department of Forest Sciences Director, Forest Management Division University of British Columbia FAO Forestry Department Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Rome, Italy vi Contributors Amy M. Brunner Darla G. French Department of Forestry Department of Forestry and Natural Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Resources University Purdue University, 304 Cheatham Hall West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061, USA Blacksburg, VA 24061-0324, USA Christian Gamborg Rowland D. Burdon Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape Scion Biomaterials and Planning Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park Danish Centre for Bioethics and Risk 49 Sala Street Assessment Private Bag 3020 Faculty of Life Sciences Rotorua 3046, New Zealand University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 Heather D. Coleman DK-1958 Frederiksberg, Copenhagen Department of Wood Science University of British Columbia Santiago C. González-Martínez Vancouver, BC, Canada Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Forestales Stephen P. DiFazio CIFOR-INIA Department of Biology Carretera de La Coruña km 7.5 West Virginia University 28040 Madrid, Spain 53 Campus Drive Morgantown, WV 26506-6057, USA Zhonglian Huang Department of Forestry and Natural Ani Anna Elias Resources Department of Forest Science Purdue University Oregon State University West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061, USA 321 Richardson Hall Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA Robert Kellison Professor Emeritus Matthias Fladung North Carolina State University BFH, Institute for Forest Genetics and Raleigh, NC, USA Forest Tree Breeding Sieker Landstr. 2 D-22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany vii Jingyi Li Rozi Mohamed Department of Forest Science Faculty of Forestry Oregon State University Universiti Putra Malaysia 321 Richardson Hall 43400 UPM Serdang Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA Selangor, Malaysia Milan LstibĤrek Brooke E. Montgomery Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences Department of Forest Science Czech University of Life Sciences Oregon State University Prague, 165 21 Czech Republic 321 Richardson Hall Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA Cathleen Ma Department of Forest Science Hans-J. Muhs Oregon State University Schimmelmannstrasse 37 321 Richardson Hall D-22926 Ahrensburg, Germany Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA Hanna-Leena Pasonen Shawn D. Mansfield Department of Applied Biology Department of Wood Science University of Helsinki University of British Columbia, PO Box 27 Vancouver, BC, Canada FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland Lisa M. McDonnell Gilles Pilate Department of Wood Science Department of Forestry and Natural University of British Columbia Resources Vancouver, BC, Canada Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061, USA Richard Meilan Department of Forestry and Natural Juan J. Robledo-Arnuncio Resources Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Purdue University Forestales West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061, USA CIFOR-INIA Carretera de La Coruña km 7.5 Mike Menzies 28040 Madrid, Spain Scion Biomaterials Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park Peter Sandøe 49 Sala Street Danish Centre for Bioethics and Risk Private Bag 3020 Assessment Rotorua 3046, New Zealand Faculty of Life Sciences University of Copenhagen Rolighedsvej 23 DK-1958 Frederiksberg, Copenhagen viii Roger A. Sedjo Katherine VanWormer Forest Economics and Policy Program Department of Forest Science Resources for the Future Oregon State University Washington, DC, USA 321 Richardson Hall Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA Olga Shevchenko Department of Forest Science Christian Walter Oregon State University Scion Biomaterials 321 Richardson Hall Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park Corvallis, OR 97331-5752, USA 49 Sala Street Private Bag 3020 Peter E. Smouse Rotorua 3046, New Zealand Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Hao Wei Rutgers University, Linus Pauling Institute