living with beaver 

RESOURCES
for living with beaver. 

Beaver are unique animals in that they alter their environment to create and maintain their ideal habitat.  They do this by cutting down trees and creating dams and ponds. The ponds and habitat they create provide many ecological benefits, but they can also be a nuisance to landowners and property managers by damaging trees and flooding property and roads.  There are many methods of preventing and reducing damage caused by beaver to allow beaver to remain in the area and benefiting the ecosystem.
Picture
Beaver often fall large trees, but only use the smaller limbs for food and to build their dams.

LINKS & INFO
for living with beaver. 

RESOURCES
for reducing damage to trees. 

Beaver in Utah seem to prefer the following tree species, although they are opportunistic and will cut down other trees based on availability:​
  • ​aspen
  • willow
  • cottonwood​
  • alder
  • apple
  • cherry​
Beaver cut down trees with their large (and continuously growing) front teeth.  They use these trees both to build their dams and lodges, and to eat the inner layer of bark called the cambium.  This chewing habit can get them into trouble on private and managed lands and where trees may have ornamental value.  However there are several ways to prevent and reduce damage to trees to coexist with beaver.  Two very effective ways are to fence trees or to paint the trunks with a sand/paint mixture. 

fencing trees. 

Individual trees can be protected from beaver damage by wrapping with wire cages. Wire fencing, multiple layers of chicken wire, or even metal flashing can be used to prevent beaver from chewing on the tree trunks.  Wrap the fencing loosely to allow the tree to grow and inspect often.  The fencing needs to be at least 4 feet tall; and in snowy climates, 4 feet from the snowline. To protect a grove of trees, it is possible to encircle the group of trees with wire fencing instead of wrapping trees individually.  For more detailed information and videos on fencing trees to avoid beaver damage, check out the Beaver Institute’s Tree Protection page.  
Beaver fall trees further from the river than you might think, where they strip the smaller limbs and drag them down to the pond.  Instead of painting or fencing every tree, protect any that might be of value to you and leave some that you don't mind if the beaver cut down.  It is also not worth painting / fencing trees that will likely flood. 
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Image from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife 'Living With Wildlife: American Beaver'

painting trees with sand/paint mixture. 

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Spreading a sand/paint mixture at the base of trees deters beaver from chewing. Photo: Sierra Wildlife Coalition, CA.
Beaver will avoid chewing on trees that are painted with a gritty sand/paint mixture.  This method is effective for areas where you want to maintain a natural look, since it is often difficult to see that the trees have even been painted. 

The Beaver Institute suggests mixing a latex exterior paint with fine sand/Mason sand to the ratios listed below depending your your quantity of paint: 
  • 5 oz sand per quart of paint
  • 20 oz sand per gallon of paint
  • 140 gm sand per liter of paint
Mix the paint in small batches on the day you plan on applying it to the trees, stirring as necessary to keep the sand from sinking to the bottom.  To maintain a natural look, match the paint to the color of the tree bark.  Apply the paint / sand mixture to the bottom 4 feet of the tree (or a couple of feet above the snowline).  The paint can last several years before it will need to be refreshed.  
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​Keep in mind that beaver will eventually move up or down the watershed as they deplete their food supply and dams breach or wash out.  The beaver pond is a dynamic ecosystem-constantly in flux.  

RESOURCES
for reducing damage by flooding

Beaver Deceivers
Pond Levelers
Protective Fencing for Culverts

beaver facts

FAQS 
about living with beaver. 

>> How do you protect trees from beaver?
We recommend fencing off trees to protect them but be careful not to wrap the trees tightly because as the tree grows is could cause the fence to strangle the tree.  Other methods include painting the tree trunks with paint infused with sand.
>> What trees do beaver prefer? 
Beaver prefer softwoods  from the Populus genus which include cottonwoods and aspen.  They will also eat willows and other riparian species but will chew down almost any woody species to use for building material or to get to fruits.  They are particularly fond of apples and will sometimes take down apple trees in the fall just to get the apples.
>> How do you tell if beaver are active in an area?
It’s typically easy to tell if a beaver is active in an area from the fresh cutting.  You can tell how fresh a cutting is by looking at the chips to see if they are fresh/moist and if the leaves are still green or have they wilted.  A good way to know if the beaver is living in the area not just passing through is to look for a , lodge (either stick or bank and a scent pile (mound of dirt on the bank) that shows that the beaver is planning on staying a while.  
>> How do you prevent beaver from flooding an area?
There are a variety of devices such as 'beaver decievers', pond levelers and culvert protection that can help reduce flooding.  For more information, go to BeaverSolutions.com

FACT SHEETS & GUIDES
about living with beaver. 
The Beaver Ecology & Relocation Center is a partnership with Utah State University Ecology Center & Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. ​