Documentary 'Synthetic Forests'
Covers the Enormous Risks of GE Trees
February 06, 2016
Story at-a-glance
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Short, hard-hitting documentary exposes the truth
about genetically engineered (GE) trees and the
devastating impacts they may have on our global
ecosystem
The spread of GE tree seed and pollen is
uncontrollable and irreversible, able to travel
hundreds to thousands of miles to contaminate native
forests
When we lose native forests, we may also lose
potential cures for diseases such as cancer, because
the lost flora and fauna would take their secrets
with them
By Dr. Mercola
If the biotech industry has its way, 184 million acres of
native forests around the world will be bulldozed down and
replaced with plantations of genetically engineered (GE) trees.
On these proposed
GE tree plantations, there are essentially no other plants,
insects, birds, or wildlife — just rows upon rows of cloned
Frankentrees growing at accelerated rates on a crust of dead,
lifeless soil above dwindling groundwater reserves.
Trees are being genetically engineered with unnatural
characteristics, such as the ability to kill insects, tolerate
colder temperatures, resist toxic chemicals, and grow faster —
but these "advantages" come at an unacceptable price.
"Synthetic Forests" is a documentary exposing the truth about
GE trees. In this short but hard-hitting film, leading
scientists discuss the devastating and irreversible impacts of
allowing GE trees into our global ecosystem.
Why Genetically Engineer Trees?
Industry wants to market designer trees with a variety of
traits that will increase their income-generating capacity — at
least over the short-term. Trees have varying degrees of
commercial value, depending on their characteristics, as well as
how quickly they can be harvested.
For example, some trees like the fast-growing Eucalyptus are
being engineered to grow even faster.
In collusion with the paper industry, trees are being
engineered to have lower lignin, as this natural polymer must be
removed from wood pulp before the pulp can be made into paper,
which is an expensive part of the process.
The problem is, lignin is what gives trees their structural
integrity — it's what allows trees to stand strong in wind and
other harsh weather conditions, and to withstand diseases and
damage from insect and animal browsing.
Low-lignin trees are weaker and less able to withstand these
environmental stresses and do not optimally nourish important
fungi once they are put back into the soil. Dead low-lignin
trees also decompose faster, releasing carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere more quickly, which contributes to
climate change.
The best thing for trees is to stop using them for paper.
Paper doesn't need to be made from wood pulp, because far more
Earth-friendly materials exist, such as agricultural wastes,
recycled material, hemp, tobacco, and even banana leaves.
Fruit trees are also being genetically altered so they can be
marketed as "disease resistant."
However, despite these marketing claims, many GE trees and
other plants are actually weaker and more susceptible
to disease than their natural counterparts and end up needing
massive amounts of chemicals to remain viable, usually in the
form of
herbicides and pesticides.
Not only that, contamination of wild and organic fruit trees
by GE genes has been devastating to nearby wild groves. For
example, cross-contamination by GE papaya plantations has
crushed Hawaii's wild, organic papaya industry.1
Expert Says Genetic Engineering Is Based on 'Lousy Science'
The problem with genetic engineering has to do with the fact
that GE plants and animals are created using horizontal gene
transfer (also called horizontal inheritance), as contrasted
with natural reproduction, which involves vertical gene
transfer.
Vertical gene transfer, or vertical inheritance, is the
transmission of genes from the parent generation to offspring
via sexual or asexual reproduction, i.e., breeding a male and
female from one species.
By contrast, horizontal gene transfer involves injecting a
gene from one species into a completely different species,
which yields unexpected and often unpredictable results due to
the wake of mutations it generates.
Proponents of genetic engineering assume they can apply the
principles of vertical inheritance to horizontal inheritance.
But according to award-winning scientist and geneticist David
Suzuki, Ph.D. this assumption is flawed in just about every
possible way and is "just lousy science."
Genes don't function in a vacuum — they act in the context of
the entire genome. Whole sets of genes are turned on and off in
order to arrive at a particular organism, and the entire
orchestration is an activated genome.
When you change a genome, nature can respond in unpredictable
ways. It's a dangerous mistake to assume a gene's traits are
expressed properly, regardless of where they're inserted. The
safety of genetic engineering is only a hypothesis, and in
science, hypotheses often end up being wrong.
The Spread of Seed and Pollen Is Uncontrollable
Genetically engineered trees are vastly different from other
annual GE crops like corn and soybeans because trees can live
for decades and even centuries in the wild. Once GE trees escape
the confines of their plantation, they are extremely difficult,
if not impossible, to eradicate.
Many tree species, such as pines and poplars, can spread
their pollen and seeds over great distances. Pollen can blow
hundreds or even thousands of miles, dusting native trees with
GE pollen.
Consequently, the risks, regulation, and assessment needs of
GE trees may be even greater than those of more seasonal crops
like
GE corn and soy. Disrupting forest ecosystems endangers the
health of the entire planet.
Native forests have been called the "lungs of the Earth,"
supporting food and wildlife habitats everywhere. Forests absorb
carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, filter water and release it
back into the atmosphere, as well as building the soil.
With GE trees, contamination of native forests is both
inevitable and irreversible. Many tree species regularly
interbreed with similar species, and some are highly invasive,
including Eucalyptus — a "bully" that's spread out of control
across California.
Once wild tree species are contaminated, GE trees could take
over vast geographical areas, and there's no do-over — you can
recall a dangerous drug, but you can't recall a dangerous tree
until it is too late.
GE Trees May Be the 'Greatest Threat to Forests Since the Chain
Saw'
Genetically engineered trees threaten native forests, which
are already endangered by mining, agriculture, pollution and
other factors. When you lose a forest, you don't just lose trees
— you destroy an entire web of life.
Critical biodiversity is lost.
We don't even know the extent of what we're losing, as many
species of plants, animals and insects have yet to be studied.
This biodiversity may hold undiscovered cures for cancer and
other diseases. Loss of native forests also has negative effects
on indigenous communities and world climate.
The health effects of GE seeds and pollen introduce
additional concerns. Birds eat the seeds, and we have no idea
how they'll be affected. People inhale the pollen — how will our
immune systems react? No one knows because it hasn't been
studied. Entire Filipino villages have been stricken with a
mysterious illness thought related to Bt-corn pollen, but an
official investigation was never done.2
In addition to that, as noted in the film, only about 1
percent of sprayed herbicides and pesticides hit their target —
the rest ends up in our food and water. Like GE food crops, GE
trees are heavily reliant upon these chemicals. One half million
pounds of toxic chemicals already rain down on the U.S. each
year in rainwater — much of which is atrazine. Arial spraying of
atrazine is used almost exclusively in forestry.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) advises
physicians to warn patients about the potential health dangers
of eating
GMO food, including infertility, immune problems,
accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in
major organs and the gastrointestinal system.
GE trees can only add to these risks. A list of the dangers
of GE trees is summarized in the table below, which is by no
means comprehensive, but it will at least give you a feel for
the seriousness of this issue.
Loss of native forest ecosystems, loss of diversity
Ground water contamination
Increased fire danger (high oil Eucalyptus trees are
like torches for wildfire)
Increased herbicide and pesticide use
Excessive water use (GE Eucalyptus plantations have
massive water requirements)
Deforestation (monoculture plantations are NOT
forests)
Damaged soils and decreased carbon sequestration
Air pollution from burning wood pellets; burning
wood produces super fine particulates that can bypass
your body's defenses
Negative effects on indigenous people
Unknown health effects from inhaled GMO pollen
Adverse health effects from aerial application of
toxic chemicals
Contamination of native gene pool
Loss of land, livelihood and export markets
Thousands of mutations are typically created
Bad science with unpredictable consequences
Is ArborGen the Next Monsanto?
The majority of research and development on GE trees has come
from a company called ArborGen, the industrial "love child" from
a tryst between Monsanto, International Paper, Westvaco, and
Fletcher Forests.3
ArborGen is the largest US corporate proponent for GE trees and
is hoping to follow Monsanto's blueprint for commercializing GE
crops. If GE trees are approved by the USDA, ArborGen is
projected to grow 2,000 percent by 2017.4
A scientist from the Center for Food Safety recently exposed
a secret letter from the USDA to ArborGen, dated August 2014. In
it, the USDA made the unprecedented decision to allow ArborGen
to pursue unregulated commercial cultivation of a loblolly pine
genetically engineered for altered wood composition. The trees
could be planted anywhere in the U.S. without public knowledge
or access to information about them.
Loblolly pines are native across 14 states throughout the
southeastern US and are grown in plantations around the world.
Their pollen is known to travel for hundreds of miles. Groups
from around the world are rising in protest, as this is the
first GE tree to be legalized without any government or public
oversight or risk assessment.
According to ecologist/biologist Rachel Smolker, Ph.D., of
Biofuelwatch:5
"If these GE loblolly pines are released on a large
scale in the U.S., there will be no way to stop them from
cross contaminating native loblolly pines. This is
deliberate, irreversible and completely irresponsible
contamination of the environment with unknown and possibly
devastating consequences.
Forest ecosystems are barely understood, and the
introduction of trees with genes for modified wood
characteristics could have all manner of negative impacts on
soils, fungi, insects, wildlife, songbirds, and public
health. And all this for short term commercial profit."
In addition to loblolly pines, ArborGen is also seeking USDA
approval for Eucalyptus trees engineered for cold tolerance. If
granted, ArborGen plans to sell hundreds of millions of
seedlings to be planted every year across the southeastern US,
from Texas to South Carolina. They are also promoting
development of a GE American Chestnut tree that's resistant to
blight, as well as many others.
The Global Campaign to STOP GE Trees
Genetically engineered tree plantations threaten to spoil
native forests, displace local farmers and destroy sustainable
economies. Pollen and seeds from GE trees are impossible to
control, with potentially grim ecological consequences.
Self-sufficient communities will be forced to leave their
land, adding to the growth of city slums.
Despite knowledge of these probable outcomes, the biotech
industry, with the full backing of the U.S. government, is
pushing GE trees forward with ever-increasing zeal.
Fortunately, there is some good news on the horizon.
Organizations from all over the world, and all angles of
interest, have banded together to form a global network opposing
GE trees. The
Campaign to STOP GE Trees includes more than 200
organizations in 49 countries. If you care about this issue,
please visit their website and
sign their petition to the USDA. But don't stop there!
Following are several more things you can do to help preserve
our native forests:
Refrain from buying paper products made from trees/wood
pulp; instead, buy recycled paper (toilet paper, tissue
paper, writing paper, computer paper);
Greenpeace and
NRDC have handy downloadable guides for buying recycled,
Earth-friendly paper products
Reuse and recycle the paper products you do use
Eliminate your need for
toilet paper altogether by installing in a bidet
Say no to napkins, especially when you're handed a stack
of them; use cleaning cloths instead of paper towels
Cut back on printing; ask yourself if you really
need to print a document; use both sides of a paper
before tossing it; use old receipts for notes; reuse
wrapping paper, or make your own from newsprint or magazines
Boycott the new GE apples ("Arctic apples") and GE
potatoes, which just passed FDA inspection.6
For more information on GE apples, read "Genetically
Engineered Apples: Any Way You Slice It, a Rotten Idea."7
Choose only produce that you know is organic, preferably
grown near you. The Center for Food Safety has a
free Shopping Guide to Avoiding GE Foods.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or genetically
“engineered” (GE) foods, are live organisms whose genetic components
have been artificially manipulated in a laboratory setting through
creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and even
viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional
crossbreeding methods.
GMO proponents claim that genetic engineering is “safe and
beneficial,” and that it advances the agricultural industry. They
also say that GMOs help ensure the global food supply and
sustainability. But is there any truth to these claims? I believe
not. For years, I've stated the belief that GMOs pose one of the
greatest threats to life on the planet. Genetic engineering is NOT
the safe and beneficial technology that it is touted to be.
The FDA cleared the way for GE (Genetically Engineered) Atlantic
salmon to be farmed for human consumption. Thanks to added language
in the federal spending bill, the product will require special
labeling so at least consumers will have the ability to identify the
GE salmon in stores. However, it’s imperative ALL GE foods be
labeled, which is currently still being denied.
The FDA is threatening the existence of our food supply. We have
to start taking action now. I urge you to share this article with
friends and family. If we act together, we can make a difference and
put an end to the absurdity.
QR Codes Are NOT an Adequate Substitute for Package Labels
The biotech industry is trying to push the QR code as an answer
for consumer concerns about GE foods. QR stands for Quick Response,
and the code can be scanned and read by smart phones and other QR
readers.
The code brings you to a product website that provides further
details about the product. The video below shows you why this is not
an ideal solution. There’s nothing forcing companies to declare GMOs
on their website. On the contrary, GE foods are allowed to be
promoted as “natural,” which further adds to the confusion.
These so-called "Smart Labels" hardly improve access to
information. Instead, by making finding the truth time-consuming and
cumbersome, food makers can be assured that most Americans will
remain ignorant about the presence of GMOs in their products.
Besides, everyone has a right to know what's in the food.
You shouldn't have to own a smartphone to obtain this information.
Non-GMO Food Resources by Country
If you are searching for non-GMO foods here is a list of trusted
sites you can visit.