Research & Reports

This list of selected documents provides you with more information on GE tree issues from different actors. The links in the left column lead you to further publications of interest.

Please send us more publications on GE trees that should also be presented here.

2004

Abstract: Genetic modification and other biotechnologies may have a role to play in plantations forestry in some countries. However, since some 95 percent of the world's forest area is natural or semi-natural, the area planted with genetically modified forest trees is likely to remain relatively small. GMO deployment in forestry, if it occurs, is likely to remain in the domain of the private sector and to follow the agricultural model.

Abstract: The original purpose of this report was to examine the effects of the Plant Protection Act, as administered by APHIS, with respect to the regulation of trees, specifically trees used for wood production. Part of the purpose of this report was to examine situations where deregulation had occurred. To date APHIS has authorized thousands of field tests for more than 50 plant species, mostly agricultural crops, and many of these have achieved deregulated status. However, despite its considerable experience regulating crop plants, APHIS has only limited experience with trees. [...] Unfortunately, only one tree - an orchard tree, the papaya - has achieved deregulated status. The circumstances surrounding that deregulation and the transgenic tree’s fate are discussed. The report describes the implementation and outcomes of procedures related to the authorized field tests for transgenic trees and a description of the types of tests and how they are evaluated.

Abstract: A large number of scientists are actively working on genetically modifying trees, to better serve industry's economic aims. Field trials are already being carried out in a number of countries and GM poplars have already been released in China, regardless of the dangers that all this implies for the world's forests. This bulletin is aimed at sharing some of the information available and at urging concerned people to involve themselves in this issue. A good starting point would be to sign the petition for a Global Ban on GM trees, which will be presented next month at the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Climate Change, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Abstract: From an industrial profit-making perspective, forests have been consistently perceived as "untidy" and having "low productivity". For many years, forestry scientists and foresters were thus assigned the task of "improving" them.The answer was to establish single-species plantations in straight rows and equal spacing so as to obtain the largest possible quantity of wood per hectare. Forests are thus progressively being replaced by monocultural stands of timber. Different steps have been taken to "improve" forests. The first step was to carry out research on appropriate trees for different environments and to select those having better qualities for the intended purpose: wood production. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) played a central role in this respect, particularly in the case of Eucalyptus. Fast-growth, straight trunks, few branches and adequate wood for industry were some of the chosen qualities. The second step implied the adoption of the also FAO-backed entire Green Revolution package: mechanisation, herbicides, chemical fertilisers, pesticides. The following step was to carry out traditional genetic selection to "improve" the plantations' performance in terms of wood yields, which was soon followed by cloning of the "best" trees. From that reductionist perspective, the obvious next step was to genetically modify trees.

Year of Publication

 until 2003

2004

 2005

 2006

 2007

 2008