A group of individuals wielding axes and other tools  cut down or girdled around 600 to 800 poplar trees- vandals targeting GMOs, something they saw as evil and unnatural.

It was the spring of 2001. The strands, located near Corvallis and Klamath Falls in Oregon, were being used for research on genetically modified poplar trees under Steve Strauss, a professor of forest biotechnology in the College of Forestry.

The vast majority of the destroyed trees were normal poplar, but some were genetically modified organisms, where their genetic material was altered using Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology. CRISPR is a technique used to selectively modify an organism’s DNA.

A group of “concerned OSU students and alumni”  emailed Strauss, taking responsibility for the vandalism, widely labeled as an act of ecoterrorism, or a form of terrorism or sabotage undertaken to hinder activities considered damaging to the natural environment by a given group.

Strauss was put on edge by the vandalism and other incidents like it at the time.

“I was freaked out, and I was wondering whether I could continue doing the research I was doing, or whether these groups would just make it impossible,” Strauss said.

According to Strauss, the trees were genetically modified to make them sterile to prevent their genes from spreading to normal poplar trees. The idea behind the project was to explore ways to make poplar trees better for timber production. 

A tree, for example, might be engineered to grow faster, produce more wood, remove pollutants from soil, use less chemicals in processing, or enable herbicide use. 

According to Strauss, this can make forestry more sustainable by limiting the resources and land required to grow trees and allowing them to grow more efficiently.  

Strauss notes that soon after the vandalism, the Earth Liberation Front ecoterrorist group burned down his colleague’s lab at the University of Washington.

During the May 2001 arson, five members of the organization Earth Liberation Front set off a firebomb at the University of Washington in the offices of professor Toby Bradshaw in the university’s Merrill building, located in its Center for Urban Horticulture.

The attack destroyed a large section of the building, causing $7 million in damage. 

Bradshaw’s research – also focused on studying the genetics of poplar trees – was similar in nature to Strauss’. 

He also had some research involving genetically engineered poplars in a greenhouse on the property, which were not destroyed in the incident.

According to Strauss, after the vandalism at OSU and the attack at the UW, a video system and a magnetic card lock system were installed in OSU’s Richardson Hall for about 5-10 years. 

“I was told if I were on the first floor like he was, someone would have broken in and started a fire,” Strauss said.

Strauss said that threats against researchers like those experienced at OSU and at UW in 2001 can inhibit them from doing research freely. 

“You get afraid. You get afraid to speak out. And it’s, it’s kind of a visceral thing, so it’s very inhibitory to speaking openly.”

According to Strauss, largely due to the incident, Bradshaw left the field soon after.

“Terrorism can work, it can really silence folks,” Strauss said.

“It’s a scary thing.”

In the early 2000s, GMO technology was relatively new, and the debate around GMOs was in full force. 

Several dozen organizations and many individuals in Oregon protested the new “frankentrees,” expressing concerns about the impacts they would have on forest ecosystems. 

Strauss believes that biotechnology research and applications are generally misunderstood. While Strauss admits that there are risks associated with GMOs, he also sees controls from the government and other entities as effective in mitigating them.

Strauss noted the importance of discussions and conversations about science with the public. He said he has done over 40 public outreach events about genetic engineering and other topics over the years. 

Strauss thinks they were successful in helping get information out to the public about GMO research, other topics and creating discourse. 

Strauss notes that people have different values, beliefs, and ideologies associated with GMO technology – many people have protested his work over the years – and varying opinions on many other topics.

But, Strauss said that the way forward is not violence. Instead, he argued for discourse, non-violent protests and hearing people out – arguing that it is important for democracy. 

He noted that he resonated with the chant “This is what democracy looks like” at the Corvallis No Kings Protest this year.

In July, 2001, a few months after the poplar tree vandalism incident and a month after the arson at UW, Strauss said that he attended a conference.

Strauss said that the FBI and the ATF were there for security, as there were concerns of arson threats.

Several activists protested genetically modified trees outside, and Strauss recalled having conversations with them about the “pros and cons of these of the issues.” 

“Demonstrating at the conference was perfect. It got in the newspaper too, right? It got out there. There are messages, but they didn’t burn down the place,” Strauss said.

According to Strauss, the physical damage to the research project after the attack was minimal.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Strauss said the U.S government made fighting terrorism a priority, and ecoterrorism got lumped in.

Strauss said some of the increased resources were used to find the people who cut down the trees, some who had fled the country. 

He suggested that the response, coupled with a broader public understanding and acceptance of GMOs, led to a decrease in ecoterrorism in the U.S. 

Since 2001, the poplar tree research has continued on. The research project is now finishing up, and Strauss is looking to retire in the next few years. 

So, looking back almost 25 years, what are the lessons for today?

“[The vandalism] was an example of somebody trying to cancel me, trying to intimidate me, where I wouldn’t do the work that I thought I was right to do,” Strauss said.

He emphasizes understanding.

“Not canceling and being open to all sides, to not being angry and emotional, with being thoughtful and particularly not acting out of ignorance.”