RICS Article on Japanese Knotweed: Countering Invasion
17-07-2014
The latest issue of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Property Journal includes an article by Phlorum’s Dr Paul Beckett on Invasive Non Native Species (INNS).
The article singles out Japanese knotweed as a special case, which, due to some peculiarities of its biology and ecology, has rampantly spread across the UK, Europe and the USA, causing damage to built structures and underground services.
Some ‘horizon-scanning’ of future innovations in the battle against INNS and knotweed are also discussed in the article, including the following:
- Remote sensing tools to determine areas of knotweed from your desktop;
- Novel herbicides engineered to affect only target species;
- Biological control using insects or disease-causing organisms to knock back INNS; and
- Fragmenting knotweed’s extensive root system and ‘cooking’ the remains with high pressure steam.
You can download a copy of the article here.
