Forest plantations as those limited areas in a landscape of diverse land uses where wood and fiber production is the primary rationale for establishment and management. It is in these wood farms where significant investments in biological research and management to maximize wood yields are most likely to justify the use of transgenic germplasm. The economic benefits of transgenic crops to society, as well as to industries, can be great. There is large justification for continued increases in economic efficiency of farming and forestry to reduce ultimate product costs, increase product value, produce novel co-products, and to continue to meet the growing demand for renewable resources. Though economic benefits vary widely in their distribution, increased production efficiency should ultimately increase the availability of economic resources for other societal needs.
Transgenic crops can provide important environmental benefits.
Many transgenic crops, if used wisely, can improve environmental aspects of production compared to conventional and alternative systems. The risks of genetically engineered crops should be considered not only in themselves, but in relation to the risks and benefits of all candidate systems. All production methods, conventional and organic, have attendant risks and impacts on the environment. The discrete traits imparted by genetic engineering facilitate risk assessments. The manipulation and movement of genes, rather than entire genomes via sexual crosses, allows refinements and innovations that are not possible with conventional breeding or marker-aided methods.