Once GE trees escape, there is no way to call them back. Tell the USDA to Ban GE Trees.
See the danger in action. Watch this five-minute video on the impact of timber plantations and GE trees.
Tree biotech company ArborGen is seeking regulatory approval from the USDA for eucalyptus trees genetically engineered for cold tolerance. If granted approval, ArborGen plans to sell hundreds of millions of seedlings every year across the southeastern US, from Texas to South Carolina. We must tell the USDA to ban genetically engineered trees.
The USDA is set to issue a draft decision on ArborGen’s request during 2014. USDA approval of GE eucalyptus trees would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to the legalization of GE versions of native forest trees, including poplar and pine, which would inevitably and irreversibly contaminate native forests with destructive GE traits, devastating forest ecosystems and wildlife. Once GE trees escape, there is no way to call them back.
The only way to stop GE trees from invading and contaminating US native forests is to ban the commercial release of GE trees before it is too late.
Lawsuit Against GE Trees
As part of the effort to encourage the USDA to ban GE trees, Global Justice Ecology Project, the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, the Center for Food Safety, Dogwood Alliance and the International Center for Technology Assessment filed a lawsuit in 2010 to stop the planting of 260,000 genetically engineered trees (eucalyptus) across seven southern US states. Read More
TAKE ACTION!
It’s time to mobilize to stop the threat of GE Trees. Tell the USDA that ArborGen’s GE freeze tolerant eucalyptus plantations pose an unprecedented threat to forests and wildlife in the US and around the world. You can get involved by:
- Signing the petition to the USDA demanding a ban on GE Trees.
- Printing out a PDF of the petition to get signatures.
- Joining our mailing list to stay in the loop.
- Hosting a screening of the free documentary, “A Silent Forest: The Growing Threat, Genetically Engineered.”
- Organize your community to educate and take action.
- Become a partner organization.
- Donating! Our success is your success. We rely on contributions from people like you to keep the campaign going.
