Eucalyptus is a flowering tree in the myrtle family and is mostly native to Australia. Some Eucalyptus species are fast-growing sources of wood, some can produce oil that can be used for cleaning and functions as a natural insecticide, and can also be used to drain swamps. Genetically altered eucalyptus is fast growing, invasive and can cold temperatures down to about -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit. They require a lot of carbon and can grow up to fifty-five feet tall. The large height provides more wood and can be used as a bio fuel feedstock. Modified Eucalyptus plants dominate the tropical timber industry. A potential intrinsic concern is that this new species of Eucalyptus plant will grow wild, become weed like, and will destroy native foliage. One of the species used to breed this new Eucalyptus plant has already turned invasive in South Africa. However, this will not be a problem in southwest Florida because of its moist climate. Genetically altered Eucalyptus will not spread because it has been modified in a certain way to prevent the trees from reproducing. This modification restricts pollen production. A possible extrinsic concern about the genetically modified eucalyptus plant is that altering the plant may cause its medicinal properties to become altered as well, and this could greatly affect humans who use eucalyptus for medical reasons .I believe that some cost-effective steps can be taken to mitigate these risks such as figuring out how to genetically modify the Eucalyptus plants so that they do not become invasive. I am skeptical about any genetically modified plants so I am not sure if the benefits will outweigh the risks of the plant becoming an invasive species. Planting test plots of this genetically modified eucalyptus would be pointless at FGCU because the campus has a sub-tropical environment and will never reach extremely cold temperatures that would test the cold tolerance of the plant.
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