Genetically Modified Eucalyptus Trees Threaten Southern U.S.
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Source: Towards Freedom
Posted by: Elizabeth Fiend
The U.S. government is set to approve [1] a request from ArborGen, the genetically engineered (GE) tree research and development giant, for permission to plant 260,000 GE cold tolerant eucalyptus trees in 29 “field trials” across seven southern U.S. states. Approval of such a large-scale planting of these dangerous flowering GE forest trees in the U.S. is completely unprecedented. The GE eucalyptus, to be planted in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, would be allowed to flower and produce seeds, enabling them to potentially escape into native ecosystems and forests.
The STOP GE Trees Campaign, an international alliance of organizations that has banded together with the goal of globally banning the open-air release of genetically engineered trees, issued an “Urgent Action Alert” about ArborGen’s potentially disastrous plans, with information about how the public can make comments to the government to help stop this large-scale release of GE trees.
“This is absolutely unprecedented–the government wants to approve the mass release of 260,000 flowering GE forest trees in so-called “field trials,” stated Dr. Neil Carman who works with the Sierra Club in Texas. “You cannot call over a quarter of a million trees over 330 acres “field trials.” These are experimental forests being planted outdoors under the disguise of “field trials” as a loophole. The government must produce an Environmental Impact Statement to carefully review all of the potential environmental threats from this large-scale GE tree release,” Dr. Carman continued.

















































