Dogwood Alliance

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I was in Charleston for six days prior to the industry conference working with our friends at the Global Justice Ecology Project, Institute for Social Ecology, ForestEthics, and EPN organizing turnout in the city and hosting an alternative education forum to teach the public about the threats of further conversion of our native forests to lifeless pine plantations and the potential damaging impacts of genetically engineered trees. The program was a huge success and we followed it up with a press conference that received coverage from AP, The Post and Courier, George Street Observer, Charleston City Paper, the South Carolina News Network, and two local TV stations. Here is a link to a photo gallery from the events.

On October 11-13th, the timber industry sponsored a major global conference located in the South focused on pine plantations and genetically engineered trees. As lovers of Southern forests and advocates of protecting one of the most unique places on earth, we stood up at that event to say: this is not okay. Converting our native forests into barren pine plantations is a far cry from sustainable forestry, and is not the solution to protecting our forests. Not to mention the threat of Genetically Engineered trees being introduced into out forests (more info in the Dogwood Alliance pressroom)!

Notes from the road...

Each stop has been very successful and exciting. From Asheville to Savannah to Chapel Hill and in between each city has brought a different form of success. In Savannah, a dozen folks from the timber industry showed up and the Q&A period turned into a little debate about pine plantations. It was great to have Anne from Global Justice Ecology Project and Kim from ForestEthics around to make the connection that what is happening here in the southern U.S. is also happeneing in the global south--Chile and Brazil. This is not okay.

We've been getting press calls while driving down the highway and have gotten media in each stop! The issue is really important, and it's been a great opportunity to talk to folks about the threats of pine plantations and genetically engineered trees. Every time I do the presentation--the thought of a southern landscape covered with sterile pine forests and genetically mutated trees so IP can make paper products really does send shivers down the spines of everyone who calls this place home!

dates and times...