Washington, D.C. 31 March 2022 The draft environmental assessment (EA), required by the National Environmental Policy Act, was completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service. It concerns New York’s box tree moth (BTM), control program. In July 2021, BTM was detected in Niagara County in New York. The draft EA proposes a control program for commercial nurseries and landscaped areas in which BTM has been discovered. It includes quarantine measures, survey activities and potential box tree removal.
The BTM is a pest that is native to East Asia. It has spread to Europe and is now a serious problem. The caterpillars prefer boxwood but can also eat other plant hosts, such as mock orange and euonymus. Heavy infestations can cause host plants to be ruined. The caterpillars also consume bark, which can lead to plant death and girdling. APHIS proposes a program that will control the spread to other parts New York and the United States of BTM.
APHIS has announced via local newspapers in New York State where the BTM Control Program may occur that a notice for the draft EA is available at https://www.regulations.gov/(APHIS-2022-0108) for a 30-day period of public comment. Anyone wishing comment on the draft EA must submit comments https://www.regulations.govYou can also send comments to the APHIS State Director for Plant Health in New York State. Box Tree Moth.| Box Tree Moth.
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