Question: How many, and what type of trees have you planted on your Energy Crop Tree Farm in central Florida?
Answer: Approximately 250,000 trees have been planted -- ~60% in eucalyptus trees (E. grandis, E. amplifolia) and ~40% in cottonwood trees that are native to Florida.

Question: By planting eucalyptus trees (that originate from Australia), aren't you harming the environment by using an exotic (i.e., a non native species to Florida)?
Answer: Just because a plant was not present when European Settlers arrived in America (about 1500) does not mean its something bad. Approximately 98% of everything we eat comes from exotics/non-natives -- such as the orange tree, which originates from Africa.

Question: Is there a difference between exotics? I've read about exotics such as the Melaleuca tree introduced in the Everglades causing tremendous environmental harm.
Answer: Yes, there is a big difference between a non-invasive exotic (such as an orange tree) and an invasive exotic. Invasive Exotics (such as melaleuca trees and cogongrass) can be very harmful by speading/invading into native habitats.

Question: What makes invasive exotics harmful to the environment?
Answer: When exotic/non-native plants are introduced to a new location without the factors like severe seasonal weather, diseases or insect pests that kept them under control in their native range, they can just keep growing and reproducing, out-competing and displacing the native plants and disrupting naturally-balanced native plant communities. This reduction in biodiversity can impact wildlife, and alter natural processes such as fire and water flow.

Question: Are there highly reputable and science-based Organization in Florida which identify which trees and plants that are invasive exotics?
Answer: Yes, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Exotic Pest Council have performed extensive research and have listed hundreds of invasive and even potentially invasive plant species. None of these Organizations list the two eucalyptus species that we are growing (E. grandis, and E. amplifolia) as invasive exotics.

Question: I am from California where eucalyptus trees are common. I know that your statements that eucalyptus trees are not invasive are false!
Answer: According to the University of Florida, the Eucalyptus genus has over 500 species. These species vary greatly and have a huge range of characteristics. Per the the USDA, two eucalyptus genus found in California, E. globulus (bluegum eucalyptus) and E. robusta (swampmahogany) are categoried as invasive. Neither of these genus are being used at our Energy Crop Tree Farm in central Florida.

Question: Is this the first time eucalyptus trees are being introduced in Florida? If so, perhaps there is not enough evidence to determine whether they are invasive.
Answer: According to the University of Florida, E. grandis has been grown in Florida since the 1800's; E. amplifolia (a more freeze resistant tree to E. grandis) has been grown in Florida since at least the 1950's. For ~30 years, Lykes Corporation has been growing E. grandis trees to produce landscaping mulch. In fact, if you go to any garden center in the U.S. (like Home Depot) and buy eucalyptus mulch, it most probably came from Florida. Today, Lykes has ~20,000 acres of eucalyptus tree plantations near Lake Okeechobee (one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Florida) -- with no evidence of the trees being invasive.

Question: Are you taking any safeguards against the possibility that eucalyptus trees will become invasive?
Answer: Yes. For trees to become invasive, they must flower to produce seed that can be spread by the wind or by animals. Only mature (~5 years old) trees can flower. By harvesting eucalyptus trees every 2 to 3 years as a short rotation crop, the possibility of invasiveness is reduced significantly -- as the trees will not be allowed to grow to a flowering stage.

Question: Prior to your development as a tree farm, what was the land used for?
Answer: The ~140 acre site is a un-developed, abandoned phosphate mine (clay settling pond). The site was last mined over 50 years ago and is severely environmentally damaged as a prairie of 4' to 8' cogongrass -- an exotic and highly invasive weed originating from Asia. Also, the site had an extensive history of wildfires. According to the Florida Division of Forestry, cogongrass is a leading cause of wildfires during Florida's dry season in winter and spring months.

Question: Everytime you cut a tree for harvest, don't you have to replant?
Answer: No. Both cottonwood and eucalyptus trees re-grow (called coppice) after each harvest. University of Florida scientists believe these trees can coppice between 6 and 10 times. For example, if the trees were harvested every two years and coppiced 10 times -- the productive life of a tree farm would be 20 years.

Question: I read that eucalyptus trees are highly flammable, exacerbating the risk of devastating wild-fires in Florida.
Answer: As a responsible comment, such flammability claims should be put in some type of context and be science-based. The pertinent question should be: based on scientific research, are eucalyptus trees more flammable than say native pine trees or cogongrass? We have two science based studies from leading Universities in Australia and Spain which found that eucalyptus trees are less flammable than native species pine trees.

Question: What is the basis of some environmentalists' claims that eucalyptus trees are highy flammable?
Answer: We've also asked this question, and have been provided a link to a Webpage on eucalyptus trees in California. We highly recommend everyone read these numerous anecdotical newspaper stories (which are not science-based papers). We believe that flammability arguments based on these stories are incorrect for several reasons. The fire problems in northern California are resulting from (1) frequent freezes causing bark to shed from the trees; (2) decades of this bark litter accumulating on the forest floor. Neither of these conditions would exist at our plantation in central Florida.

Question: Doesn't the oil contained in eucalyptus trees make them highly flammable compared to other trees -- exploding when exposed to fire?
Answer: For this claim to be true, the BTU content (i.e., British Thermal Unit, measuring the potential heat content of a fuel) of eucalyptus trees would have to be significantly greater than of other trees. In fuel tests required by the Florida DEP, we have never seen any material difference in BTU contents of any type of tree fuel (e.g., eucalyptus, pine trees, yard wastes, etc.) -- they all contain ~4,500 BTUs per pound.

Question: In light of drought conditions and the numerous wild-fires in central Florida, are you taking any actions to reduce the risk of wild-fires?
Answer: Yes, we have taken steps that have reduced wild-fires in the area by (1) implementing "best forestry management practices" (e.g., establishing fire lanes on the entire perimeters of the plantation, weed control, etc.). (2) Also, because we are growing and will harvest trees as short rotation crops, the trees will not be allowed to grow to tall heights (as in unmanaged forests in California). (3) Probably most important however, is the fact that we are growing trees on closed phosphate mining sites, that previous to our development, was dominated by highly flammable cogongrass (that was over 8 feet in height!).

Question: What is Genetic Engineering?
Answer:A genetically modified organism (GMO) means a species that is genetically engineered with techniques that alter molecular or cell biology of an organism by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes. Genetic engineering includes recombinant DNA and RNA techniques, cell fusion, micro- and macro-encapsulation, gene deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes. Genetic engineering does not include breeding, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in-vitro fertilization and tissue culture.

Question: Has GMO Engineering been performed on your energy crop trees?
Answer: No. If you have any questions on GMO Engineering, please contact Dr. Don Rockwood of the University of Florida.

Question: Won't planting mono-culture tree crops hurt animal bio-diversity?
Answer: We are working with environmental groups (Audubon Society, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) to increase bio-diversity by planting a diverse number of native species trees, creating "green belts" within the plantation that will never be cut. You can learn more about our specific efforts by going to our webpage on this topic.

Question: Why should anyone just take your word that your energy crop trees are not harmful?
Answer: You shouldn't. As discussed on one of our webpages, we are working with numerous environmental groups in Florida to develop environmental standards that would be administered by an independent source.