Beaver Library

Beavers modify landscape morphology and hydrology, thereby creating habitat for
diverse species, enabling many ecological processes, and promoting climate change resiliency.
Beavers are now rebounding from near extirpation in North America and increasing beaver
populations can facilitate restoration goals given beavers’ roles as ecosystem engineers. This is
especially relevant in the Chehalis Basin in western Washington where beaver is a focal species in
the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan (ASRP) which aims to protect and restore critical aquatic
habitat. Although beaver can be valuable for restoration, they can also cause conflict with people by
damaging trees, flooding roads, etc. Given potential conflict and the role of beaver in restoration, we
surveyed landowner perceptions of beaver and collated data on the status of beaver in the Basin.
Our landowner survey provides information to begin assessing the Chehalis Basin community’s
understanding of and desires for beaver. Our study explicitly explored whether negative attitudes
towards beaver are positively correleated with an individual’s reported conflict with beaver.
Notably, we found that landowners experiencing conflict with beaver were more likley to agree
with lethal control of beaver and disagree with maintaining beaver-created habitat than
landowners not experiencing conflict. This survey’s results underscores how proactively
addressing human-beaver conflict in the Basin is crucial for avoiding increasing negative attitudes
towards beaver and beaver-related restoration. Our survey supports a need for outreach and
education on beaver conflict mitigation, particularly related to unwanted tree removal. We also
present trends data on recreational beaver trapping in the region and areas of reported beaver
conflict. Although robust beaver population data are lacking, we provide a compilation of known
beaver occurrences as a baseline for beaver activity, especially near restoration priorities. These
beaver status data, in conjunction with our landowner survey data, provide a comprehensive
picture of the state of beaver, beaver conflict, and beaver restoration in the Chehalis Basin. Our
findings can help guide restoration practitioners in the Chehalis Basin to best capitalize on beaver’s
habitat restoration potential while mitigating conflict now and into the future.

Understanding where and how many dams beavers (Castor canadensis) will build is an important habitat restoration question, especially as beavers are increasingly recognized for their ecosystem-scale benefits and as beaver-related restoration accelerates. Several models exist for predicting the dam building behavior of beavers in North America. However, not all of these models are applicable outside of the ecoregions where they were developed or validated.

Rivers and streams, when fully connected to their floodplains, are naturally resilient systems that are increasingly part of the conversation on nature-based climate solutions. Reconnecting waterways to their floodplains improves water quality and quantity, supports biodiversity and sensitive species conservation, increases flood, drought and fire resiliency, and bolsters carbon sequestration. But, while the importance of river restoration is clear, beaver-based restoration—for example, strategic coexistence, relocation, and mimicry—remains an underutilized strategy despite ample data demonstrating its efficacy. Climate-driven disturbances are actively pushing streams into increasingly degraded states, and the window of opportunity for restoration will not stay open forever. Therefore, now is the perfect time to apply the science of beaver-based low-tech process-based stream restoration to support building climate resilience across the landscape. Not every stream will be a good candidate for beaver-based restoration, but we have the tools to know which ones are. Let us use them.

Traditional restoration efforts are barely scratching the surface of what could be restored. Moreover, a disproportionate amount of funds are spent on too few miles of streams and rivers leaving millions of miles of degraded streams neglected. To fill this gap, restoration practitioners are increasingly trying restoration techniques that are more cost?effective, less intensive, and can more practically scale up to the enormous scope of degradation.

Summary of the beaver release at Knapdale, Argyll, for the purpose of running a scientifically monitored trial as part of the Species Action Framework (SAF).

This study used questionnaires and economic tools to begin to measure the potential economic impact beavers might have on wildlife tourism in Britain.

While Britain has had a slower start than some mainland European countries, beaver reintroduction is now gathering traction motivated by prospects of habitat enhancement, natural flood management and wider biodiversity benefits.

Investigation into the social dimensions of wildlife reintroduction and an argument to emphasize the need to recognize societal perceptions in potential management solutions

A study of beaver control measures to help land management agencies weigh against large-scale removal programs

We aimed to recognise beaver-produced ecosystem services and quantify their theoretical value for the entire Northern Hemisphere.

This article examines five potential conservation benefits of wildlife festivals with an emphasis on ecotourism

Article that finds themes in responses to beaver reintroduction and offers observations that may positively influence future responses amongst affected individuals

This fifth webinar in the ASWM-BLM Beaver Restoration Webinar Series focused on how coalition building is essential to advancing the practice of process-based stream and floodplain restoration by helping the regulatory environment be responsive to the evolving understanding around functioning, intact riverscapes.

A study of 482 flow devices by Beaver Solutions LLC in Massachusetts demonstrated that flow devices are the Best Management Practices for beaver dam flooding problems. Published by the Assoc. of MA Wetland Scientists, 2005.

Research and monitoring activities over a 45-year period on the Quabbin Reservation in Massachusetts have provided an opportunity to follow changes in numbers and dynamics of an unexploited beaver population.

A review by the University of Southampton of how the reintroduction of beaver will affect fish in Scotalnd

This recovery plan provides guidance to improve the viability of coho salmon to the point that it meets the delisting criteria and no longer requires ESA protection. It includes strong recommendations to increase the number of beaver and recommends the use of BDAs to restore rearing habitat for salmon.