Synthetic Forests: The Enormous Risks of Genetically Engineered Trees

By Dr Joseph Mercola

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

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.

Moreover, GE 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.

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.

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Previous articles by Dr Mercola:

• Vaccine Failures Continue – The One Size Fits All Vaccination Schedule is Not Safe for Every Child
• Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes and Moths Ready to Spread Like Wildfire
• FDA Approves Genetically Engineered Salmon – Here’s What You Need To Know
• Scientific Review Shows Fluoridation Does Not Prevent Cavities
• Scientific Links Between Processed Foods and Depression
• The Aspartame End Game… and What’s Next
• The Surprising Ways in Which Fast Food and its Packaging Harms Your Health
• How Sugar Harms Your Brain Health and Drives Alzheimer’s Epidemic
• The Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
• Sleep Loss May Cause Brain Damage and Accelerate Onset of Alzheimer’s, Two New Studies Show
• Can a Hug a Day Keep Infection Away?
• The Fluoride Deception Continues as US Government Ignores Fluoride’s Role as an Endocrine Disruptor
• Magnesium: An Invisible Deficiency That Could Be Harming Your Health

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