GM Trees in Ireland?

theguzman

http://www.futuragene.com/our-product/yield-enhanced-gm-eucalyptus/

Scientists in Brazil have genetically modified Eucalyptus trees so they grow even faster, they were already a fast-grower to begin with. Brazil is a huge timber producer, sadly mainly at the expense of the amazon, however alot of Eucalyptus is grown there for pulping for paper and similar in Portugal too, I took the train from Lisbon to the Algarve last year and passed through some fine forests and Eucalyptus plantations there.

Eucalyptus being endemic to Australia is a hardy enough tree and would be used to limited fertility in the soil I imagine.

By comparison to Ireland I was out hill walking today and came across a ghastly Sitka Spruce plantation which is 10 years old and the timber is literally the width of my arm yet, it is on upland poor peaty soil understandably and this slow growth will produce nice tight grain and good enough quality construction timber in another few decades, but the time invested is very long for a return, the subsidies will have expired long before this place is ready for harvesting I imagine.

I wonder have GMO Trees ever been given a trial here in Ireland or what would be the legality and regulations attached to them. A GMO plantation of Eucalyptus for example would be far more attractive than a conifer plantation, as someone who has been to the Blue Mountains outside Sydney I can tell you a Eucalyptus forest is far more pleasing than horrible Sitka Spruce monoculture. Plus a GMO Eucalyptus crop would yield several times more timber, indeed it is hard wood timber also which is superior to Sitka Spruce white deal which rots in no time and is used mainly in roofing and second fixing. GMO Eucalyptus could also offset alot of carbon emissions in domestic heating as it makes for great firewood, burning extremely hot.

It would be something I am growing more interested in is afforestation and rewilding as I look to take over my own family farm property in the coming years.

Birdnuts

theguzman wrote: »

http://www.futuragene.com/our-product/yield-enhanced-gm-eucalyptus/

Scientists in Brazil have genetically modified Eucalyptus trees so they grow even faster, they were already a fast-grower to begin with. Brazil is a huge timber producer, sadly mainly at the expense of the amazon, however alot of Eucalyptus is grown there for pulping for paper and similar in Portugal too, I took the train from Lisbon to the Algarve last year and passed through some fine forests and Eucalyptus plantations there.

Eucalyptus being endemic to Australia is a hardy enough tree and would be used to limited fertility in the soil I imagine.

By comparison to Ireland I was out hill walking today and came across a ghastly Sitka Spruce plantation which is 10 years old and the timber is literally the width of my arm yet, it is on upland poor peaty soil understandably and this slow growth will produce nice tight grain and good enough quality construction timber in another few decades, but the time invested is very long for a return, the subsidies will have expired long before this place is ready for harvesting I imagine.

I wonder have GMO Trees ever been given a trial here in Ireland or what would be the legality and regulations attached to them. A GMO plantation of Eucalyptus for example would be far more attractive than a conifer plantation, as someone who has been to the Blue Mountains outside Sydney I can tell you a Eucalyptus forest is far more pleasing than horrible Sitka Spruce monoculture. Plus a GMO Eucalyptus crop would yield several times more timber, indeed it is hard wood timber also which is superior to Sitka Spruce white deal which rots in no time and is used mainly in roofing and second fixing. GMO Eucalyptus could also offset alot of carbon emissions in domestic heating as it makes for great firewood, burning extremely hot.

It would be something I am growing more interested in is afforestation and rewilding as I look to take over my own family farm property in the coming years.

Euccalyptus is the tropical version of Sitka spruce I'm afraid in its negative impacts on soils, water resources and wildlife. It is also suceptimble to frost and windthrow, so wouldn't do very well over large parts of this island

biddyearley

Birdnuts wrote: »

Euccalyptus is the tropical version of Sitka spruce I'm afraid in its negative impacts on soils, water resources and wildlife. It is also suceptimble to frost and windthrow, so wouldn't do very well over large parts of this island

Nonsense.

biddyearley

theguzman wrote: »

http://www.futuragene.com/our-product/yield-enhanced-gm-eucalyptus/

Scientists in Brazil have genetically modified Eucalyptus trees so they grow even faster, they were already a fast-grower to begin with. Brazil is a huge timber producer, sadly mainly at the expense of the amazon, however alot of Eucalyptus is grown there for pulping for paper and similar in Portugal too, I took the train from Lisbon to the Algarve last year and passed through some fine forests and Eucalyptus plantations there.

Eucalyptus being endemic to Australia is a hardy enough tree and would be used to limited fertility in the soil I imagine.

By comparison to Ireland I was out hill walking today and came across a ghastly Sitka Spruce plantation which is 10 years old and the timber is literally the width of my arm yet, it is on upland poor peaty soil understandably and this slow growth will produce nice tight grain and good enough quality construction timber in another few decades, but the time invested is very long for a return, the subsidies will have expired long before this place is ready for harvesting I imagine.

I wonder have GMO Trees ever been given a trial here in Ireland or what would be the legality and regulations attached to them. A GMO plantation of Eucalyptus for example would be far more attractive than a conifer plantation, as someone who has been to the Blue Mountains outside Sydney I can tell you a Eucalyptus forest is far more pleasing than horrible Sitka Spruce monoculture. Plus a GMO Eucalyptus crop would yield several times more timber, indeed it is hard wood timber also which is superior to Sitka Spruce white deal which rots in no time and is used mainly in roofing and second fixing. GMO Eucalyptus could also offset alot of carbon emissions in domestic heating as it makes for great firewood, burning extremely hot.

It would be something I am growing more interested in is afforestation and rewilding as I look to take over my own family farm property in the coming years.

There are at lest 800 species of Eucalyptus with multiple hybrids. Aesthetics is a purely subjective thing, but yes large Eucalypts are magnificent and actually are beneficial here in Ireland, providing an extended nectar flow for insects, removing water in certain situations, providing insect as prey for birds and ameliorating the soil.


A GM tree would need to be frost hardy and the issue of spiral grain which causes warping and splitting would need to be addressed. I'd like to see sitka genetically modified so as to create a deep taproot for stability, and down the line one could look at producing certain oils and other fibres such as wool and silk from GM trees. The possibilities are endless.


DO you know what species they re growing in Brazil?

theguzman

biddyearley wrote: »

There are at lest 800 species of Eucalyptus with multiple hybrids. Aesthetics is a purely subjective thing, but yes large Eucalypts are magnificent and actually are beneficial here in Ireland, providing an extended nectar flow for insects, removing water in certain situations, providing insect as prey for birds and ameliorating the soil.


A GM tree would need to be frost hardy and the issue of spiral grain which causes warping and splitting would need to be addressed. I'd like to see sitka genetically modified so as to create a deep taproot for stability, and down the line one could look at producing certain oils and other fibres such as wool and silk from GM trees. The possibilities are endless.


DO you know what species they re growing in Brazil?

I don't know but I saw some of the finest impressive forests of Eucalyptus in Sao Paulo state in Brazil earlier this year but unfortunately due to the worsening Covid situation there I was unable to travel the several hundred km's inland to FuturaGene's facility in Itapetininga. I have seen grand Eucalyptus forests in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Portugal and Brazil during my world travels and I am very interested in them as an alternative to Conifer plantations here.

CJhaughey

They are as Birdnuts says an environmental disaster.
https://www.politico.eu/article/portugal-fire-eucalyptus-killer-forest/
They are not a native species and as such are not at all good for biodiversity, they may look different to stands of Sitka but their effect on wildlife is the same.
Not to mention they have difficulty in coping with the kinds of winds that Ireland sees on a regular basis.
Glengarriff forest park had several large Bluegum but they seem to be falling more regularly as their height increases and they catch more wind.
Their root system is shallow and spreads a long distance from the tree which can itself cause issues with nearby structures.

biddyearley

CJhaughey wrote: »

They are as Birdnuts says an environmental disaster.
https://www.politico.eu/article/portugal-fire-eucalyptus-killer-forest/
They are not a native species and as such are not at all good for biodiversity, they may look different to stands of Sitka but their effect on wildlife is the same.
Not to mention they have difficulty in coping with the kinds of winds that Ireland sees on a regular basis.
Glengarriff forest park had several large Bluegum but they seem to be falling more regularly as their height increases and they catch more wind.
Their root system is shallow and spreads a long distance from the tree which can itself cause issues with nearby structures.

It's easy to throw out all kinds of opinions on trees. Better look at all effects rather than focus on one possible negative characteristic. Re. the falling of bluegums;all trees have a terminal height at which the forces of the wind will either snap them or knock them, depending on the ground conditions Some eucalyptus carry a huge sail area and heavy leaf which would contribute to their eventual susceptibility to falling earlier than other eucalyptus species.


Attached is a review of papers showing the experience of eucalyptus in various countries. This is an interesting excerpt"

Most eucalyptus species need on average 785 liters of water/kg of biomass produced as opposed to cotton/coffee/banana
(3200), sunflower (2400), field pea (2000), cow pea (1667) soybeans (1430), potato (1000), sorghum
(1000) and maize (1000) liters/kg biomass produced, which shows that eucalyptus species are efficient
water users".
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334730728_Ecological_and_social_impacts_of_eucalyptus_tree_plantation_on_the_environment



There are possibly 800 species of eucalyptus, with multiple hybrids.