Federal agriculture and plant health officials have given the green light to release a natural predator insect as a way to combat several invasive knotweed species spreading across the lower 48 states.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has completed a final supplemental environmental assessment, along with a finding of no significant impact, related to a 2020 environmental assessment. The review covers the planned field release of the knotweed psyllid Aphalara itadori, an insect originating from Murakami, Japan, that belongs to the Hemiptera order and Psyllidae family.
The targeted plants — Japanese knotweed, giant knotweed, and Bohemian knotweed, known scientifically as Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis, and F. x bohemica — are classified as significant invasive weeds within the United States.
This approach is known as classical biological control, which involves introducing a natural enemy of an invasive species from its native region to help manage its spread in a new environment.
Because officials concluded there would be no significant environmental impact, they determined that a more extensive environmental impact statement does not need to be prepared.
