While beavers are powerhouses when it comes to supporting their ecosystems, their presence can also be a nuisance to humans. The good most certainly outweighs the bad, but beavers can pose a significant problem to landowners and farmers alike.
Beaver dams can sometimes flood farmers’ fields as well as public roads and highways. They can also flood subdivisions and homeowners’ yards. Beavers can also be prone to chewing on valuable trees and damaging property.
Unfortunately, this often leads to ineffective strategies such as beaver removal, including kill-traps.
Instead, working with environmental professionals to manage the presence of beavers should be step number one. Marc Dumont, Alberta, is an environmental professional dedicated to mitigating the conflict between beavers and humans.
Understanding the ways in which beavers are humanely managed can help humans realize there are options available to them that don’t involve harming the animal and the environment.
Fencing around trees and branches
Beavers are naturally going to seek out construction materials, sometimes even the ones located in your own backyard. If you fence trees, shrubs, branches or your entire yard with mesh wire, it makes it difficult for beavers to gather those materials. As such, this encourages beavers to move on to a new area in search of materials. It’s also important to clear your yard of any fallen branches. Unfortunately, this approach is not suited for wider areas.
Discouragement through plant management
You can take further, smaller actions to discourage beaver activity on your property. If it’s possible, you can eliminate trees and vegetation that beavers like the most. You can then plant less desirable species instead. Beavers tend to prefer willow, aspen, and black poplar trees, as well as cattails, water lilies and other vegetation, to name a few. However, it is important to note that while beavers may have preferences, they may turn to eating less desirable sources of food, depending on availability.
Water Level Control Devices/Flow Devices
There are a number of devices that can be implemented to manage flooding due to beavers making dams or blocking culverts. Each goes by a different name and they vary in design, but their essential function is to allow water to flow through the blockage. Flow devices are a great option for managing flooding issues due to beaver activity, as they offer a long-term, cost-effective solution.
Live Trapping/Relocating
While trapping and relocating might be considered a more humane option, it’s generally not recommended to trap and relocate beavers. In fact, in many jurisdictions it is illegal to do so. Oftentimes, relocated beavers don’t survive. If live traps are insufficiently monitored, beavers can die from stress or hypothermia. If the relocated beavers survive, they will continue to build dams and lodges in the new location, causing potential problems. Furthermore, if another beaver lives in the area, the two could end up in conflict. If the area the beaver was originally removed from is already desirable, another beaver could just move in.
Working with professionals specializing in beaver protection and mitigation ensures that both human and animals can coexist. Avoiding any action undertaken that could cause harm to beaver populations and their ecosystems, should be undertaken by a professional – this is vital to prevent negative impacts to landowners and the environment.