Investigates Links Between GE Trees, Plantations and Chile’s Worst Ever Fire Season

Media Advisory 22 March 2017

Santiago, Chile–Members of the Campaign to STOP Genetically Engineered Trees from around the world are gathered in Chile for two weeks to investigate the impacts of industrial tree plantations and the potential future impacts of genetically engineered tree plantations–including increasingly severe wildfires, expanding desertification, toxic contamination, and land grabs from Indigenous and forest dependent communities.

The group will meet with students, Indigenous and rural communities, human rights and environmental organizations around Chile to strategize ways to ensure GE trees are not commercially released on a large scale.

This will include protests against the IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) bi-annual Tree Biotechnology conference which will take place in early June in Concepción, Chile. This same conference was disrupted for five days in 2013 in Asheville, NC during protests against GE trees.

The delegation will include a daily blog of video, writing and professional photographs beginning on 22 March 2017.

A list of participants that can be interviewed is available by contacting Keith Brunner – contact info below.