# Genetically modified trees danger or not ?



## ggom20 (Feb 1, 2012)

Hello!

Just some news about genetically modified trees, the improvement is to have the right coulour of wood , the baltic birtch made in poland is now growing with coulour quite like sherry tree, it helps a quicker finnishing for big industrial swedish furniture-maker.

Soon will be in plywoods. Any idea about danger of this?

Regards.
Gerard


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

ggom20 said:


> Hello!
> 
> Just some news about genetically modified trees, the improvement is to have the right coulour of wood , the baltic birtch made in poland is now growing with coulour quite like sherry tree, it helps a quicker finnishing for big industrial swedish furniture-maker.
> 
> ...


Here, we call it April Fools Day. Especially since "big industrial swedish furniture-maker" has decided not to finish any of their furniture in the future but leave it to their customers.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Ron

Did you know that a few years back Fine Wood Working magazine actually carried an article about a guy in the USA who injected dyestuffs into living, growing trees to get boles of pre-coloured timber for veneers? Not sure if that was an April Fool Joke, though

Regards

Phil


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

Phil P said:


> Hi Ron
> 
> Did you know that a few years back Fine Wood Working magazine actually carried an article about a guy in the USA who injected dyestuffs into living, growing trees to get boles of pre-coloured timber for veneers? Not sure if that was an April Fool Joke, though
> 
> ...


Hi Phil:

Is Fine Wood Working prone to practical jokes? I thought they were too stuffy for that.

On a more serious note, Phil, I need you to read the article on dust collection and let me know if there's something that needs to be changed. It's at this url...

http://www.routerforums.com/woodwor...-collection-updated-important.html#post274714

Your help would be appreciated. This is April Fools Day but this is no joke.

Ron


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

allthunbs said:


> Is Fine Wood Working prone to practical jokes? I thought they were too stuffy for that.


I think the article was genuine. All I now have to do is find it - it's on a colour issue, back page. I've seen dye-stained veneers sold for marquetry work, but I never paused to think how they were produced. Hmmm



allthunbs said:


> On a more serious note, Phil, I need you to read the article on dust collection and let me know if there's something that needs to be changed.


I'll do that later today when I have some time, Ron. I read Bill Pentz's site some years ago and a lot of what he says is cogent to the problem. The availability of low-cost monitoring equipment is a new development to me and could prove quite interesting. I'll come back later in the day on that

Regards

Phil


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

ggom20 said:


> Hello!
> 
> Just some news about genetically modified trees, the improvement is to have the right coulour of wood , the baltic birtch made in poland is now growing with coulour quite like sherry tree, it helps a quicker finnishing for big industrial swedish furniture-maker.
> 
> ...


Gerard, I am a molecular biologist who "came of age" during the whole Is Recombinant DNA Dangerous, Asilomar conference, 6 month ban, creations of the now named ORDA, etc. I have at various times tried to genetically modify soybeans to confer resistance to cyst nematodes, modify common laboratory bacteria to express proteins found in organisms that grow near boiling temperatures, etc. In order to answer your question I would want to know what kind of genetic modifications have been made in order to change the wood color, to the point of wanting to know the specific alleles of the genes inserted, and the relative rate of expression of the genes inserted. I would think that at worst the dust created in working the wood would take on the toxic characteristics of the source of the genes. Bottom line after all this, the dust itself is probably far more dangerous than anything in it. Hence I think the most important part of this thread, aside from your question, is the discussion and links to safety of the wood dust.


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## ggom20 (Feb 1, 2012)

Hello!
Been away for a while.

This was posted on 2012 04 01.
April Fools Day...

But.

"genetically modified trees"
This might come in the reality for srtictly commercial reasons.

Hope you liked it.

Regards.
Gérard.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

ggom20 said:


> Hello!
> Been away for a while.
> 
> This was posted on 2012 04 01.
> ...


Gérard, it already is. I recall, but cannot at the moment locate the source, that for commercial purposes, a species genetically modified to greatly reduce the amount of hemicellulose (pectin), so that paper making could be greatly simplified. A totally unexpected side effect is that the trees grow much faster and produce a good quality wood.
In the very near future we are going to have to have genetically modified trees that are resistant to bark beetles.


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## ggom20 (Feb 1, 2012)

mftha said:


> Gérard, it already is. I recall, but cannot at the moment locate the source, that for commercial purposes, a species genetically modified to greatly reduce the amount of hemicellulose (pectin), so that paper making could be greatly simplified. A totally unexpected side effect is that the trees grow much faster and produce a good quality wood.
> In the very near future we are going to have to have genetically modified trees that are resistant to bark beetles.


Hello Tom (mftha)! 

Sure you are right about it,You seem to know alot about it.
We know power of plants; many pharmaceutics are extracted or copies of
natural molecules.
Some tropical woods are a real trouble to use , they got defense inside.
I been using a little iron-wood; that was a terrible dust.

Here, in countryside where we live, we got fast growing
peuplar trees that are planted for the money.(And paper industry).
They grow fast , but need special care like using helicopter for blowing who know
what on them because they are sensible, or weak among some kind of problem.
The Owners whon't say, pilots don't speak...
The tree are probably not ogm , but selection was enought to make some strange varieties , with special needs.
Seen the problem once in my garden, by growing hybrid seeds for tomatoes.
Got nice tomatoes nice, firm, round and red, but no taste at all.
Got my own industrial tomatoes, never getting sweet, shock resistant, 3 weeks
in refrigerator, still good looking, but without taste.

I don' t understand well about those things, like OGM corn that is indigest for worms.
If it causes trouble to worms whon't it cause trouble to human ?

I try to avoid those , but it cost a lot to get good food, even if some of the vegetables are grown in my garden.Garden 3 times too small and takes time.

keep enjoying woodworking !,
a very pleasant thing !


Regards.
Gérard


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

ggom20 said:


> Hello Tom (mftha)!
> 
> Sure you are right about it,You seem to know alot about it.
> We know power of plants; many pharmaceutics are extracted or copies of
> ...


Thanks for the kind comments. One of my major projects now is to identify the mechanism by which a tropical tree antibacterial activity kills bacteria related to the anthrax bacteria. (I do not work directly with anthrax; there are "species" that can be distinquished from antrhax by what toxins it does carry (B. thuringensis, the source of the insecticide in many GMO crops is one example).

The tomato problem you raise precedes the rise of genetic engineering. I call such tomatoes "California flavorless". They where developed using traditional plant breeding methods and selected for tomatoes in which all matured at the same time and would survive mechanical harvesting. They are harvested mechanically. The entire plant is cut then the tomatoes are shaken into a collection trailer! 
Several years ago I had a disorder in which I was not allowed to eat store-bought tomatoes but home grown tomatoes were fine.


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