Monitor & Stay “Invasive Free”

What is monitoring?

Simply put, monitoring is the process of regularly observing the environmental conditions of a specific area and noting or “measuring” changes over time.

Why is monitoring invasive plants important?

As a ravine property owner, monitoring your land will help you track your stewarding progress – an important activity to ensure stewarding success and improve the health of our ravines.

When it comes to invasive plant management, monitoring will help you¹:

• Keep track of where you work
• Identify if any new invasive plants emerge on your property
• Determine if your efforts are effective
• Figure out if you should take a new approach or contact an expert

How can I monitor invasive plants?

Use our Invasive Plant Monitoring Worksheet

Take photos:

Monitor your progress by taking photos. Photo monitoring can be used to keep track of invasive plants, observe the health of native plants, or provide a general “snapshot” of your property’s conditions at any given time.

Make sure you take your photos from the same spot each time for consistency. Label them and keep them organized in an electronic album/ folder or print them out and keep them in a binder so that you can easily see photo comparisons year after year.

Helpful tip: mark your photo spot with a unique stone or large stick so that you know where to stand each time!