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Deep Green with Rex Weyler

Why is Canada planting genetically engineered trees and calling it 'testing'?

15 November 2006
Spruce is one of the species of trees that is being genetically engineered.

Spruce is one of the species of trees that is being genetically engineered.

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Vancouver and Montreal, Canada — Have you ever had to contain a raging wildfire in a forest? Our guess is probably not, but you can certainly imagine how fast fire can spread through a dry spruce forest. Now imagine trying to contain the tiny dust that is spruce pollen, which can travel 3000km on the winds. Now imagine that the spruce trees - and thus the pollen they are spreading - has been genetically modified, and you really don't know what the effects on the environment will be.



Despite the risks, the Canadian government is testing genetically engineered spruce trees in Quebec - by growing them outside!  It seems to us that before you plant trees that will spread GE pollen hundreds of miles, you had better know what the risks are. Once the pollen has been released, there is no 'calling it back'. That is why Greenpeace is calling for a ban on field trials of GE trees.

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