Genetically modified tree

People can change how trees grow.

Scientists change the tiny parts inside a tree. This helps the tree do new things. Some trees can fight off bugs. Other trees can grow much faster.

Some trees can stay healthy in the cold. This helps them live in new lands. Some trees can even help the air. They catch more of the bad air that warms the Earth.

These special trees help us make paper. They can also help fix old forests. Scientists are still learning how they work.

Scientists can change the DNA of a tree. DNA is the set of instructions inside a living thing. By changing these instructions, they can add new traits. These are special features that do not happen naturally.

Some trees are made to grow faster. For example, a type of eucalyptus in Brazil grows with more wood. This happens because scientists added a gene from a tiny plant. This gene helps the cell walls become more flexible. This allows the cells to expand and grow more biomass. Biomass is the total weight of the living parts.

Other trees help people make paper. Scientists can change the lignin in the wood. Lignin is a part of the tree that holds it together. Making it easier to remove can lower costs. Some trees are also made to fight bugs. One type uses a gene from a bacterium. This gene makes a protein that stops certain caterpillars.

There are risks to these new trees. Pine pollen can travel 3,000 kilometers. This means the new traits might spread to wild trees. Scientists want to make the trees sterile. Sterile means they cannot make seeds or pollen. This would keep the new traits in one place.

Scientists can change the DNA of a tree to give it new traits. DNA is the set of instructions that tells a living thing how to grow. Most of these new traits do not happen naturally in that tree species. Some trees are made to fight pests or diseases. Other trees are changed to handle cold weather or different soil. This kind of work is called genetic engineering.

One way this works is by changing how a tree grows. For example, scientists can change lignin levels in wood. Lignin is a substance that holds plant fibers together. Making it easier to remove can lower the cost of making paper. Another way is by adding genes to help cells grow. In Brazil, a eucalyptus variety called H421 was made to grow faster. Scientists added a gene from a tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana. This gene helps cell walls become more flexible so cells can expand.

Research into these trees has been happening since 1988. Many different companies and universities are working on these projects. A company called FuturaGene created the H421 eucalyptus in the year 2000. In China, the government approved GM poplar trees for use in 2002. These poplars were used in the Green Wall project to stop deserts from spreading. In the United States, a company named Living Carbon started working with hybrid poplars. They planted their first trees in a Georgia forest in February 2023.

There are many specific facts about these new trees. In China, 1.4 million insect-resistant poplars were planted. In Brazil, a special eucalyptus was approved for commercial use in 2015. This tree was made to provide more wood volume. Another eucalyptus variety was approved in Brazil in 2023 to resist insects. This variety uses genes from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis. Some trees can even capture more carbon from the air. Living Carbon's trees showed a 53% increase in biomass in early tests.

Even though these trees are helpful, they bring big questions. One worry is that the new traits might spread to wild trees. Pine pollen can travel very far, up to 3,000 kilometers. This could change the nature of wild forests. Scientists are trying to make the trees sterile. Sterility means the trees cannot make seeds or pollen. This would keep the new instructions inside the plantation. This is a very important step for protecting nature.

A genetically modified tree, often called a GM tree or transgenic tree, is a tree with its DNA altered through genetic engineering. DNA contains the biological instructions that determine how a living organism grows and functions. Scientists modify this DNA to introduce novel traits that do not occur naturally within a specific species. These modifications aim to provide benefits to industries, foresters, or the environment. Common goals include creating resistance to pests, diseases, or harsh environmental conditions. Some trees are engineered for herbicide tolerance or to change lignin levels to lower paper production costs.

The process of genetic engineering involves inserting specific genes into a tree's genome. For example, to increase wood volume, scientists may use a technique called Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated recombination. In the year 2000, the company FuturaGene used this method to create a eucalyptus variety known as H421. They inserted the cel1 gene from a small plant called Arabidopsis thaliana into a hybrid eucalyptus. This gene produces an enzyme called endo-(1,4)-β-glucanase Cel1. This enzyme breaks bonds in the plant cell wall, which increases the flexibility of the cell wall matrix. This flexibility allows cells to expand and elongate more easily, resulting in greater biomass.

Researchers also work to alter lignin, a substance that binds wood fibers together. Reducing lignin can lower pulping costs by up to $15 per cubic meter. Traditionally, removing lignin requires expensive and hazardous chemicals. Some scientists tried reducing lignin levels, but this often made trees weaker against wind, snow, and disease. To solve this, researchers at the University of Columbia introduced chemically labile linkages. They inserted a gene from the plant Angelica sinensis. This allows the lignin to break down easily when treated with a mild base at 100 degrees C. This method maintains the tree's strength and growth potential.

There are several distinct types of genetic modifications currently under development. One type focuses on frost tolerance to expand where certain trees can grow. ArborGen is researching freeze-tolerant eucalyptus to allow cultivation further north than the southern tip of Florida. Another type involves insect resistance. The Bt eucalyptus variety uses three genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. These genes produce proteins called Cry that target the intestines of certain caterpillars. This helps prevent losses of up to 40% in productivity caused by pests. Additionally, some trees are modified for herbicide tolerance. FuturaGene developed eucalyptus in Brazil that is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate by using a gene from the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

History shows that GM tree research has been active since 1988. While many GM crops are widely used, GM forest trees are still in early stages. In 2002, China approved GM poplar trees for commercial use. Approximately 1.4 million insect-resistant poplars were planted as part of the 'Green Wall' project to stop desertification. In Brazil, the H421 eucalyptus variety received regulatory approval in 2015. More recently, the Bt 1521K059 eucalyptus variety was approved in 2023. In the United States, a company called Living Carbon was founded in 2019. They began planting hybrid poplars in a Georgia forest in February 2023 to study carbon sequestration.

The significance of this technology is seen in its potential environmental and economic impacts. Living Carbon's modified trees showed a 53% increase in above-ground biomass in early trials. This allowed them to absorb 27% more carbon dioxide than normal trees. Such traits could help combat climate change through carbon capture. However, the scale of potential impact also brings significant environmental concerns. One major worry is the escape of transgenes into the wild through pollination. Pine pollen, for instance, can travel distances of up to 3,000 kilometers. This makes the risk of cross-breeding with wild species quite high.

Because of these risks, the Convention on Biological Diversity suggests that GM forest trees should be completely sterile before commercial use. Sterility would prevent the trees from producing pollen or seeds that could spread modified genes. Ensuring complete containment has proven difficult for scientists. While some experts predicted containment might be possible by 2020, many questions remain. This connects to broader discussions about biodiversity and the management of natural ecosystems. Scientists continue to balance the industrial benefits of faster growth and disease resistance against the need to protect native forest populations.