Biotech Tree

The Institute of Forest Biotechnology (IFB) defines a biotech tree as a tree developed through genetic engineering or which contains discretely engineered DNA. This definition is intentionally inclusive of both the process (developed through genetic engineering) and the resulting tree (containing engineered DNA). The IFB considers biotech tree offspring also to be biotech trees unless it can be rigorously proven that offspring does not contain genetically engineered DNA. If a biotech tree is crossbred with a non-biotech tree then the resulting offspring may or may not contain the engineered genes present in the biotech tree parent, and therefore it is unknown if the resulting tree contains engineered DNA, in which case the IFB would consider this offspring a biotech tree.

Biotech trees may be a critical tool for advanced biofuel production because they can be engineered to be more resistant to pests and diseases, and they can produce more feedstock from less resources.