A SILENT FOREST: THE GROWING THREAT
GENETICALLY ENGINEERD TREES

Ed Schehl, narrated by Dr. David Suzuki
2011, 45 min 25 sec

Silent Forest explores the growing global threat of genetically engineered trees to our environment and to human health. Geneticist David Suzuki explores the unknown and possibly disastrous consequences of improperly tested GE methods. The film includes an interview with Percy Schmeiser, who lost the rights to his own crops to Monsanto, when Monsanto seeds contaminated his fields. As Schmeiser says in the film: “It doesn’t matter how it gets there, destroying your crop. All of your crop, becomes Monsanto’s ownership and they can lay a lawsuit on top of it against you. Even if the contamination rate is 1%, all your other 99% of your crop goes to Monsanto. And that’s what startled the world, how farmers can lose their rights overnight, an organic farmer can lose his seeds and his rights overnight, and get subject to a lawsuit.” The film shows how farmers like Schmeiser and indigenous people may lose their way of life and belongings in the face of new biotech friendly science and legislation.