GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TREES: the GROWING DANGER by Global Justice Ecology Project

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TREES: THE GROWING DANGER By Global Justice Ecology Project

Introduction poplar (Populus spp.) trees to For all of these reasons, commercial ree biotech company ArborGen produce artificial rose fragrance. plantations of GE trees pose is seeking regulatory approval an enormous threat to forests Tfor genetically engineered (GE) Unlike traditional plant breeding internationally. The threat of large- freeze-tolerant eucalyptus trees. methods, genetic engineering scale commercial plantations of GE The USDA is set to issue a draft involves high-tech biotechnology. trees for timber, pulp, bioenergy, decision on ArborGen’s request at This includes transgenics: the and chemicals is quickly advancing. any moment. transfer of genes from one ArborGen is also developing GE species to another. The results are eucalyptus in Brazil, as is their If granted approval, ArborGen organisms with traits not found main competitor, Futuragene plans to sell hundreds of millions anywhere in nature, designed solely (owned by Suzano Paper, one of the of seedlings every year across the to meet the needs of industry. GE world’s largest timber companies). southeastern US, from Texas to trees are relatively new, and are South Carolina. They will also likely not yet planted on a large scale Worldwide Impacts of seek approval for GE eucalyptus anywhere except China, where Eucalyptus designed for faster growth and approximately 450 hectares of altered lignin content. insect resistant black poplars were on-GE eucalyptus plantations developed, though no records were Nalready have devastating Non-GE eucalyptus is the kept. impacts on communities across most widely planted hardwood the world. These impacts would plantation tree in the world. It is GE trees are unlike GMO food be dangerously expanded to new known to reduce local groundwater crops in some very important regions if freeze tolerant GE and can be highly invasive and ways: Trees can live for decades to eucalyptus trees are approved. flammable. If ArborGen wins centuries; have seeds and pollen approval for GE freeze-tolerant that can travel up to hundreds of In Chile, Mapuche communities eucalyptus trees, it will spread miles; and have numerous wild surrounded by eucalyptus and pine the ecological and social disaster relatives in native forests that could plantations face water shortages of eucalyptus plantations to new be contaminated. Conducting and have to truck in water for part regions of the world. long-term risk assessments on of the year. Political repression organisms that could persist in the for organizing against plantations For these and other reasons, environment for decades is next to in Mapuche communities has activists, scientists and lawyers are impossible. Such risk assessment resulted in harassment, arrests, and working hard to fight the approval isn’t even required for regulatory murders of Mapuche leaders. The and planting of GE eucalyptus in approval. These factors make GE Mapuche see their struggle against the US. trees a much greater threat than plantations as “a fight for survival, GMO food crops. for rights, dignity, recognition, GE Trees – The New Frontier and the possibility of autonomous of Biotechnology

E trees (sometimes called Global Justice Ecology Project GM trees or GMO trees) are Gsimilar to other GMOs: Scientists 266 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 307 manipulate the genetic material of Buffalo, NY 14222 trees by inserting DNA from an 716.931.5833 unrelated species to achieve desired results. Common desired traits are globaljusticeecology.org freeze tolerance, easier processing, climate-connections.org and pest and disease resistance. email: [email protected] Scientists have even engineered development.” Corporate Greenwashing Agriculture Organization reported nder the guise of conservation, that between 1990 and 2010, the In South Africa, eucalyptus is the GE tree industry is area of land covered by industrial widely invasive, and intense Utrying to sell their risky science tree plantations (including water use has been well experiments to the public. Tree eucalyptus) in the Global South documented. Increased drought geneticists in New York are increased more than 50%, even and disappearance of surface working to develop blight-resistant though the plantations doubled the and ground water plague areas GE American chestnut trees. yield of wood per hectare. where eucalyptus plantations are Blight resistance has already been established. achieved via conventional breeding While plantations might produce techniques. timber more efficiently, they Indigenous Tupinikim and don’t provide other benefits like Guarani communities and Landless ArborGen’s brand-name medicinal plants, food and shelter Workers’ Movement (MST) camps conservation system, FlexStand, for forest dependent communities. in Brazil have taken over and does more to maximize profits Nor do they provide ecological occupy eucalyptus plantations. than conserve forests. In fact, processes like water filtration, On International Women’s Day in FlexStand encourages forest owners wildlife habitat and carbon 2006, thousands of women in Brazil to continue using chemicals in sequestration as well as biodiverse destroyed millions of eucalyptus their plantations, and to cash in forests. A much better solution seedlings, denouncing the on emerging domestic carbon and is the restoration of natural, impacts plantations have on their bioenergy markets. Posturing as sustainably managed forests. communities. “sustainable” forestry, this is little more than economic opportunism, Help Us Stop GE Eucalyptus In early 2009 in Australia, raging soon to be enabled by faster wildfires, exacerbated by a drought, growing GE eucalyptus trees. he USDA is currently moved through eucalyptus groves Tconsidering approval for GE at over 100 kilometers per hour, GE eucalyptus is seen as a key eucalyptus trees. This would open devastating wildlife and killing species for emerging bioenergy up the door for approval of other nearly 200 people. markets. Demand for wood GE trees, like chestnut, poplar and pellets has already been linked to pine. ArborGen: More Clones. increased clear-cutting of southern Less Forests hardwood forests. Replacing fossil Here’s what you can do to fuels with equally polluting biomass help!: n 1999 International Paper, energy has grave consequences IFletcher Forests, WestVaco and for southern forests and the global • Sign this petition urging the Monsanto partnered to create a climate. According to ArborGen USDA to reject ArborGen’s pioneering tree biotechnology parent company Rubicon, petition for deregulation: venture. Monsanto quickly backed ArborGen could sell half a billion globaljusticeecology.org/petition/ out and in 2000, GE tree company GE eucalyptus seedlings every year ArborGen was formed. Two years for bioenergy plantations in the US later, ArborGen named Barbara South. • Visit our website for Wells as its first CEO. Wells worked news, resources, and for Monsanto for eighteen years, Using fast growing GE trees to to join our mailing list: overseeing its RoundUp Ready GE supply pellet mills and biomass globaljusticeecology.org soy division in Brazil. incinerators will release dangerous amounts of greenhouse gases into • Share this fact sheet with ArborGen is now the world’s the atmosphere. While burning friends, family, co-workers, and leading tree seedling provider. wood to create energy sounds neighbors. Current and former employees sustainable, new science suggests serve on various government that it will have a similar impact • Host a screening of the advisory boards. Several executives on the climate as burning coal. came from Monsanto. documentary A Silent Forest: Fast growing plantations will also The Growing Threat, Genetically deplete soil nutrients, increasing Engineered Trees available on The company attempted to go the need for chemical fertilizers. public on the NASDAQ in 2011, DVD or YouTube. but rescinded their Initial Public While ArborGen might think Offering after a lawsuit against GE the solution to saving the world’s eucalyptus field trials increased forests is to grow “more wood investor wariness. ArborGen’s on less land,” plantations of fast official parent companies are New growing GE trees will only lead Zealand-based Rubicon, and US- to increased deforestation, just as based International Paper and natural forests have been replaced MeadWestVaco. by other industrial tree plantations. In fact, the UN Food and