DURHAM — The recent forum at Duke University on the pros and cons of genetically modified (GM) pine forests attracted a national and international audience. On hand were venture capitalists, biotechnology firms, timber corporations, state and federal government officials, academicians and environmental groups. But some of the best questions came from private landowners and forestry consultants here in North Carolina. As the organizer of the forum, I'd like to share some of the questions — and my answers.
Can a small wood-lot owner purchase genetically modified loblolly pine seedlings?
Today the answer is no. Genetically modified loblolly pines or any other kind of tree cannot be planted commercially even on private timberlands. Few tests of genetically modified forest trees have taken place, and these are subject to close federal government scrutiny. Each test tree is cut down before onset of reproduction.
This question signals an immediate need for a continuing education workshop on the genetic composition of our forested wood-lots, even if sales are based on non-modified seedlings. Knowledge needed for choosing the right genetic composition of a future forest is growing more complex, subject to technological change. Few of our natural-resources majors in higher education receive formal classroom training about the genetic composition of forests, either old-growth or plantations. A workshop would update those few professionals who have received formal classroom training.
Outreach to wood-lot landowners about the genetic composition of forest tree seedlings is needed as a counterbalance to the state's progressive investment in forest biotechnology. The emerging for-profit market in forest seedling sales can only benefit from informed consumers. But a cautionary note is needed: workshop instructors should be drawn from those who are not on the payroll of any seedling seller, i.e., not state nursery employees, biotechnology firms or timber companies.
Who will actually own the genes in genetically modified pines?
The landowner continued with this example: if genetically modified pine pollen or seed moves from another's land onto my land and produces a forest, am I going to be penalized for stealing the intellectual property of another? On the other hand, who is liable for these escaped genetically modified pine seeds or pollen anyway?
On the surface this seems a simple question. Yet genetically modified pines are not equivalent to genetically modified row crops. Mature pines, as perennial plants, produce copious seed and pollen each year (just look at your windshield in spring!) for 10 or 20 years before timber harvest age. Wind-dispersed pine seeds and pollen move across the landscape on the scale of miles.
So the question is right on target. We do need some alternative thinking about intellectual property management for genetically modified pines.
Intellectual property management as practiced by pharmaceutical and agricultural biotechnology companies is simply not a good fit for forestry. Controlling movement of pine genes onto less managed or even unmanaged ecosystems is not a trivial problem to solve. Consider that landowner patterns in North Carolina form a mosaic of national forests, corporate timberlands, state forests, wildlife refuges and family timberlands.
Open dialogue on intellectual property management of genetically modified pines now, before commercial release, would be a progressive and timely act.
Will genetically modified pines planted on private lands disperse seeds and pollen to public forests?
We have no research to inform us on this question. Private forests will be ever more technology-intensive. They are working forests, a necessity for meeting our rising timber demands. But our state and national forests are adjacent to intensively managed timberlands, and it seems doubtful that genetically modified pines will be planted in public forests. Gene pollution could be the sleeping giant for genetically modified pine commercialization.
The answer? Open dialogue now, well before commercial release. Open a genetically modified forest dialogue for all types of concerned citizens in North Carolina. Rethink whether we need or simply want genetically modified pines. Fund research and even award a prestigious prize to any researcher who can broaden value from our biotechnology investment beyond the creation of more types of genetically modified trees.
This direction is consistent with sustaining timber production and protecting our less managed forests. Genetically modified pines are not genetically modified row crops. Healthy, well-adapted indigenous forests bode well for all.
Claire G. Williams, a geneticist, is a visiting professor at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.
source: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/1886933p-8217713c.html 30nov04
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