I'm posting on behalf of my mother, who manages a small condo complex, with a small wooded area and a small artificial pond off of a river. On one hand, most people of concern are happy to have a diverse ecosystem and wildlife activity in their little woods. On the other hand, there's already significant damage to prominent trees on the property, and many downed smaller trees in the woods. My mother first noticed the beaver lodge at the beginning of winter, and really just this last month has the damage progressed like this. She wants to potentially capture and relocate the beavers, the maintenance man wants to… take care of it in a different way. The board shot down both ideas, and has the attitude of "nature is healing! we love the beavers!", and suggested no paths forward. For now, they're wrapping the important trees with chicken wire, but I was wondering what you all thought of beavers, how you deal with the damage, what you suggest to clients who call you about beavers. how much damage would be done if they remained permanent residents? Will the woods natural recovery efforts be enough to combat the beaver menace? Thank you in advance.
by nalthian
29 Comments
The beavers were there first, it’ll be easier to accept their presence and work around them instead of trying to fight them.
Fencing in desirable trees is the best method to control future damage.
Beavers are game animals and potential vectors of certain diseases so you can’t just mess with them. If they want to trap and move them, that takes a permit. You’ll need a trappers license or nuisance permit to kill them. Personally, I like beavers they’re really good for a lot of things from water quality to wildlife. Just let them be. If there are flooding issues install a [pond leveler](https://dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/publications/pdf/ClemsonBeaverPondLeveler.pdf). Slap some cages on important trees and let them be
Somewhere, on beaver Reddit: “the hairless monkeys keep putting magic vines around the trees. We must use the trees to stop the infernal sound of rushing water. We must stop the water… WIBTA if I stop the water sounds anyway?
Edit: I think the hairless ones are going to shoot us. We are willing to die for this, do not suggest moving. Thx.”
Who wrote this post title? Jerry Seinfeld?
Jokes aside, I worked for decades in forestry, conversation and habitat restoration, best advice:
you should check with local professionals (Fish & Wildlife Services, University Extension Services, and Animal Control) before moving forward.
Relocating beavers can be difficult and legally prohibited in many municipalities within the US.
Harming them also comes with potential legal penalties as many states list them as fur bearing animals and they’re therefore protected by fish and game laws which come with HEAVY penalties if violated. Which means you’ll need to play by the VERY specific rules to trap or kill them.
Deterrents are the avenue of least effort– the local community supports them, so use that goodwill. Involve the local community with tracking and monitoring their whereabouts/habits and then use concentric metal fences to protect valued trees. You can also do plantings to support them– young fast growing species like Aspen and Birch which also are aesthetically pleasing.
The second picture is yikes. That’s just waiting to ruin someone’s morning walk 😬
Not an arborist. I just like beavers. They are good for the environment. And they build really cool dams. I happened to live near an active beaver dam (it was next to a planned pine forest). My husband and I would take walks and watch the progress of the dam until our trail was flooded. But it was so cool. And they worked so quickly. And whoever they owned the pine forest didn’t seem to mind them chopping down the baby trees.
Build fencing around the trees you really want to keep, and whatever you do DON’T remove all of their dams. They won’t recycle the wood, so they’ll just go ahead and take down new trees to make all new dams.
Complicated. Beavers are better than engineers to choose the good spots to make a barrage or nest. The effects of them on surrounding nature are wonderful. But they need wood. So by using chicken wire you prevent them from doing their job. In summer they have a lot to eat, but in winter they mostly eat bark from trees and branches, and roots. If you wanna keep them, the best would be to plant willows, poplars, alders and birch’s. A dense plantation, protected when young, like the first 5 years.
Im a marketing consultant and Id be haappy to help her re-brand from whatever it is now to “beaver lodge, beaver flats, beaver hollow, beaver bend, etc”.
The beavers gonna beav, bruh.
They hate the sound of babbling brooks. I get it tbh
Beavers don’t damage trees, they manage them. You just have too short an outlook. They are 100% great for biodiversity and the ecosystem while humans are 100% bad for it.
Great cut, considering they used their teeth.
In this video, they provide bundles of sticks for the beavers. Not sure where you live, maybe you could look into ways to give them wood that keeps them away from bigger trees? [https://youtu.be/Takd6ziPzws](https://youtu.be/Takd6ziPzws)
That’s an eager beaver.
Beavers gonna Beav
More like what’s the deal with that water? It needs to be stopped.
Beavers hate trees.
From my understanding of beavers, their MO is manipulating the ecosystem. They exist to alter the flow of water to suit their interests. They’re considered a keystone species because of the positive effect they have on the ecosystem in which they exist. They fell trees to flood an area, creating what’s called a beaver meadow. This will retain water and collect detritus, which will create nutrient-dense soil that will be excellent for future growth.
That being said, we humans tend to prefer to have the control over our landscapes, and that is in direct conflict with the control the beavers desire to have. While I did say that they positively impact the *ecosystem*, that may not positively impact the way we’ve developed the land. Protecting high-value trees, as you have done in the first picture, is a good way to prevent their felling.
I cannot speak to the effect the beavers’ actions will have on this area, in terms of hydrological effects as that is the job for someone who can walk around the property, is familiar with the local ecosystem, and is an ecology/hydrology scientist. Call your local conservation group and ask them questions (it’s free!). If your budget allows, hire a consultant to assess the environment for how you can successfully cohabitate with the beavers, since it seems that the board supports their residency (which is great!).
Disclaimer: My knowledge is self-education and things I’ve learned from beaver people at nature centers.
Further reading:
https://montgomeryparks.org/caring-for-our-parks/wildlife/beavers/
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mb/riding/nature/animals/mammals/castors-beavers
Can’t live with them; can’t live without them.
Did anyone else read the title and hear Jerry Seinfeld?
>What’s the deal with beavers?
They just wand a home too where they can raise their babies.
I read the title in a Seinfeld voice.
“What’s the deal with beavers?”
That tree is the prefect shape for a section of their dam…. Let them be..
The deal with beavers is that they are overconfident and determined little pricks, but also pretty amazing creatures. Good luck.
Beavers are a keystone species and benefit most other creatures around them. They’re incredible. I’m glad to hear you’re pro beaver OP
If your mom is the manager, I think she should relocate the maintenance guy for having such idiotic ideas.
Just protect the trees you want and let the animals be they do not be subjected to what people think look nice .
“The whole area used to be wetland…” is exactly the point. They were there first, and Beavers gotta Beave. Leave them alone, and fence any special trees by the property. The family has built their lodge, and has a forest to cull from. If you kill this beaver family, guess what happens? A new beaver family does not always move into the abandoned lodge- in fact it is unlikely. They start from scratch building a new one.
Honestly, why were wetlands taken away to build more housing? That never should have been greenlit.