Rant: My town's debate over gene-edited park trees is getting ridiculous

In my opinion, folks are getting too worked up about these trees that are just bred to resist disease. I heard at the community meeting that some people want them ripped out, which seems like a waste of money and good plants to me.

3 comments

3 Comments

jennyb671mo ago

Completely agree, ripping them out would be such a waste of money and good plants.

ruby4501mo ago

In the meeting notes, it said these trees can mix with natural ones. That SCARES me because we dont know what will happen in ten years. Spending money to remove them is better than a bigger problem later. Our park should have trees that grow here normally, not lab made ones. I get that they resist disease, but is that worth the risk? We need to think about the future, not just save money now.

hannahm191mo ago

I read a USDA report last week that said these modified trees have a really low pollen travel range, like under 100 feet. The science shows they're designed so mixing with wild trees is very controlled. It made me less worried about them taking over.