Eucalyptus Trees

The positive and negative effects need to first be evaluated if ArborGen wished to plant a genetically modified eucalyptus tree in Southwest Florida.  The eucalyptus tree is known for growing quickly and for producing a quick profit for those who sell it. The benefits of planting a genetically modified eucalyptus tree are the many uses of the tree medicinally, such as being used for a relaxant and an antiseptic. But intrinsically, the concern about how the tree will function is being that it is genetically modified. Extrinsically speaking, we would need to worry about the water consumption of the tree. The tree has shallow roots and uses a lot of water. We would have to be worried when hurricane season happened with these trees. The roots might not hold up in the strong wind. We

would also have to worry about how fast the eucalyptus tree reproduces. The tree is able to take over forests. In California, they took over forest and posed as a forest fire

threat when doing through a drought.  Lastly, we would have to watch out for

Cryptococcus Gattii, a deadly pathogen that can kill humans and wildlife. In order to mitigate these risk, ArborGen would have to find a hug piece of land where a greenhouse could be put up to watch how the land changes as a result of the eucalyptus trees growing. But this would cost a lot of money and manpower. I do not think that the benefits of the tree outweigh the many risks.