It is Invasive Species Awareness Week, Feb 24 to March 2. The goal of this week is to come together to increase awareness about the impact of invasive species and how we can protect our natural spaces. To the Toronto Bruce Trail Club this means identifying and removing or trying to reduce the invasive species along our trails.

The Club’s Biodiversity team relies on the trail captains, hike leaders, land stewards and hikers to inform them when invasives are identified in sections of the trail. Please keep your eyes open to invasive species and report them using the BTC App. If you are not familiar with some of the invasives seen along our trails, please check out the website for Invasive Species Centre invasivespeciescentre.ca for photos and descriptions. There are ways you can reduce the spread of invasive species. One is the use of the boot brush stations along the trail and cleaning your boots and pants before you head home.

In the past buckthorn, garlic mustard, scotch pine and dog starling vine have been identified. Volunteer work parties have been organized to remove and/or treat the problem plants on BTC owned properties. The ecologists at the BTC have been a great help with their training to spray or paint these offenders to ensure they do not come back. This spring there will be work parties out on the hunt for multiflora rose, garlic mustard lily of the valley and vinca along the trail. There also will be removal of more scotch pine saplings on the Duff Pit property. There will be opportunities for members to come out on these work parties to earn the Biodiversity Stewardship badge. Keep an eye on the club’s E news for dates and information.\There are many ways that Invasives can spread.\ do your part by becoming more aware of the need to reduce invasives to ensure our green lands stay healthy and local native plants can grow and bloom.

-Courtesy Lynn McFerran
Toronto Club’s Biodiversity Chair