"The Earth Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the fire because it believed, mistakenly, that a UW researcher was genetically engineering trees."

Compounded stupidity! Besides, some of the pros of genetically engineered trees are that they prevent logging of existing forests, prevent erosion on already logged/clear-cut land, and keep the Earth First people from putting spikes in them because they're so small Couldn't resist that last dig. To quote Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."