The Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an invasive plant native to the Himalayas that is now widespread across Europe. This species is very competitive in certain habitats and outcompetes many of the native plants in Europe. The Ljusdal municipality is one of many municipalities in Sweden that are now working with combating the Himalayan balsam and stopping the spread. In this study the size of Himalayan balsam populations, potential sources of spread, the impact of light on population size, and the species presence near composts was investigated in the Ljusdal Municipality. The results indicate that the Himalayan balsam is common within the municipality and a large number of the locations contain more than 100 individuals. Human activity seems to play a greater role in the spread of Himalayan balsam compared to natural forces like water. The light conditions in each location also seem to affect the species success where the large populations more often was found in more favorable light conditions. A large amount of the locations was also located near composts which are a major problem when it comes to combating the Himalayan balsam. The results from this study was compared with the results of a similar study done on the Himalayan balsam in the Umeå Municipality.