Can a tree be geneticaly modified to be as tall as to reach out to outer space?

You would have to genetically modify the hell out of it to:

1. Make it want to reach past Earth’s atmosphere for the carbon dioxide that it respirates;
2. Enable its root and sap system to transport sap (which somehow wouldn’t freeze when it reaches the 20,000’ – plus altitude of “permanent freeze”) to the top of whatever altitude it could get to;
3. Survive jet stream winds on whatever stalk size would grow to that height;
4. Find room on Earth for a root system to support all of that, and
5. Obtain FAA clearance to grow into air lanes.

In short, no. With no reason to “grow into outer space”, why would it even attempt that?

You got most of them, @CWOTUS, but also wood is also jut not strong enough to support a structure that large, jet streams or no. Our strongest metals aren’t even that strong. Also, you could probably easily override its desire to not grow above good CO2 levels, but that is a minor concern.

No. Trees need oxygen and carbon monoxide to live.

… and why should anyone want such a thing?

Great question I love it? Keep thinking outside of the box.

They need carbon *di*oxide (CO2), and they release oxygen.

The tree might be able use CO2 and other nutrients from the tree parts located on Earth. However the tree parts located in space would not be able to keep up with the Earth’s rotation. Like the game of whip that kids play. The kids on the outer end will get thrown off.

A great idea for a science fiction story: create genes that encode proteins capable of building carbon nanotubes and have tree tops grow into a space elevator.

You could probably modify the tree to grow much taller, but eventually it would collapse under its own weight. Unless the base of the tree were a mile wide, to distribute the weight of the tree and its branches, it would simply crack in the middle.