It is good news that the state Department of Transportation will, under a new law, discontinue the planting of non-native or “invasive” species along Pennsylvania’s roadways.

But it is also illustrative of certain underlying principles.

The challenges of invasive species and their impact on native flora and fauna have been well-documented for decades. As the National Ocean Service notes on its website, invasive species are capable of “causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats.”

A study by a biologist at the University of South Florida, according to an NPR affiliate, places the estimated economic impact of invasive species at $21 billion a year lost in the U.S. economy. The shifts in habitats and biodiversity precipitated by invasive species can contribute to erosion and increase flooding and landslide risks.

And yet it took until 2024 for our state Legislature to tell our Department of Transportation to use native species along the state’s highways.

We believe this is a timely reminder that, regardless of the level of concern any of us may have about environmental issues — or, truly, any issue that has a notable impact on the quality of our lives — the most practical solutions will most likely come from private initiatives and private enterprise.

Government policy, as our editorial board has noted before and unfortunately expects to continue having to note, is too slow and too prone to a “one-size-fits-all” philosophy. Too frequently policies are developed by decision-makers who do not have the diverse experiences to anticipate problems and complications to be adequate for adjusting to the nuances of most modern problems.

An acknowledgement, only in July of 2024, that the government itself should not contribute to the spread of invasive species reflects that.