Invasive Species Week
City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation
We are the keepers of our common grounds.
Invasive Species Week is Monday, February 26 to Sunday, March 3, 2024.
Non-native species did not evolve with natural predators or controls. This may cause them to grow and spread unchecked and harm our local environment. When this happens, they are considered an invasive species.
Invasive species continue to pose challenges and the City of Toronto is committed to managing invasive species and restoring ecosystems.
The City has increased funding for invasive plant management through Toronto's Ravine Strategy .
The spread of invasive species threatens local biodiversity and can devastate native ecosystems. Lacking natural predators, these species can out-compete and displace their native counterparts which include plants, insects, aquatic and land animals and pathogens.
[YouTube video] Join City of Toronto Urban Forestry staff in the Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre for identification and control methods for common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica).
Do you want to help protect and restore our natural spaces? Volunteers make huge, positive impacts on our urban ecosystems by removing invasive species and planting native trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
Looking for a short-term commitment? Urban Forestry organizes free tree planting and stewardship events - spring through fall - each year. Individuals and groups are welcome to join. All materials are provided and no experience is necessary.
Spring events will be posted in mid-March . If a longer-term opportunity is more your style, join the Community Stewardship Program. Volunteers meet weekly from May to October at restoration sites to plant, remove invasive species, monitor, take part in research projects and get involved in expert-led workshops.
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The City’s Ravine Strategy was adopted by City Council in October 2017.
The Toronto Ravine Strategy supports a ravine system that is a natural, connected sanctuary essential for the health and well-being of the city, where use and enjoyment support protection, education and stewardship.
Toronto’s ravine system is the city’s greatest green asset. The city’s network of ravines – measuring more than 300 kilometres and 11,000 hectares – is one of the largest in the world.
Ravines are a major part of Toronto’s green infrastructure, and along with our parks and tree canopy, provide environmental, health and recreational benefits. They filter and convey stormwater and are part of larger watershed systems. They support a resilient city and house infrastructure, such as utilities and sewer lines. They help to move people through the city on some of the busiest roads and trails, such as the Don Valley Parkway and Lower Don Trail.
Ravines are important natural refuges in the city and contain most of Toronto’s environmentally significant areas, forests and wetlands, and many varieties and significant species of plants and wildlife.
Of Toronto’s ravine land, approximately 60 per cent is publicly owned. The remaining 40 per cent is owned by a patchwork of landowners, including public institutions such as hospitals and universities, as well as private property owners.