A Stewardship Guide to Grasslands in Southern Ontario

The Ontario Barn Owl Recovery project created this document to introduce sustainable stewardship practices for Southern Ontario grasslands to agricultural producers and rural landowners.  The document explores the environmental, economic and social benefits of sustainable grasslands and highlights a number of beneficial management practices.

The publication advises to carefully consider the use of rotational grazing alongside mowing practices. Combined, varying grass heights and densities will be established, ensuring suitable habitat for a large number of species. Prescribed burning is also considered an effective means to control and maintain grasslands at a frequency of once every 5-10 years. The guide notes that it is very important to consider the grassland’s carrying capacity and to try to evenly distribute grazing pressures across the land.