Canadian Forestry Research Paper

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Genetically engineered trees should be used in Canadian Forestry. Human populations are continuing to increase and as a result the pressure on our natural forests and farmed forests will evermore feel the strain of our increasing needs for lumber. Today, forestry is following the same path that agriculture has followed in the past in regards to originally gathering resources from the ecosystem, to the planting and herding of crops and eventually to the transferring of crops to other geographical locations (Sedjo 2004). Forestry however has only recently transitioned from harvesting from natural forests to the planting and managing of forests, whether it for commercial or ecological benefit (Sedjo 2004). Canada’s forest products industry is…show more content…
Currently there are no signs that genetically engineered bacterial resistance to these deceases will be introduced in a commercial setting in the near future even though the clear results from laboratory and field studies show that genetically engineered strategies for virus resistance work effectively (Collinge, Lund & Thordal-Christiensen 2008). Genetically engineered trees for unfavorable or difficult geographic locations would be a help to the Canadian forestry industry as the Canadian climate is in many places far from ideal, albeit such a large geographic area. Examples of preliminary success to tolerate adverse conditions include poplars engineered with an enzyme from mammals for detoxification of trichloroethylene, and eucalyptus hybrids genetically designed to withstand and tolerate the cold (Whetten & Kellison…show more content…
A council of objective ethicists gathered to analyze this criticism and deemed that any ethical malpractice in genetic engineering of trees would be outweighed by the ethical good of increasing living standards and reducing human suffering worldwide (Anonymous 1999). With so much potential gain from the use of genetic engineering in the Canadian forest industry it seems to be evident that Canada should continue to progress in its use to help both ecologically and commercially. Anonymous. 1999. Genetically modified crops: The ethical and social issues.Nuffield Council on Bioethics, London. 164 p. Collinge D.B., Lund O.S., Thordal-Christensen H.. (2008). What are the prospects for genetically engineered, disease resistant plants? Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 121:217–231. Industry Canada, Canadian Forest Canada. (2010).Industry Profile Retrieved from http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/fi-if.nsf/eng/home Sedjo, Roger A. (2004). Genetically engineered trees: promise and concerns. Resources For The Future, Retrieved from http://www.rff.org/rff/Documents/RFF-RPT-Forest.pdf Whetten, Ross W., & Kellison, Robert. (2010). Research gap analysis for application of biotechnology to sustaining us forests. Journal Of Forestry,

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