Beaver Re-introduction
Summary
Beaver can be important regulators of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with effects far beyond their food and space requirements'. Beaver have the potential to modify stream morphology and hydrology by cutting significant amounts of wood and building dams. This in turn influences a variety of biological responses within and adjacent to stream channels. Historically, beaver have been key agents of riparian succession and ecology throughout North America. They can naturally transform pioneer woody vegetation into physical features that result in the expansion of floodplains, riparian community structure, diversity, and productivity’. The predominance of beaver in the Pacific Northwest drew many early trappers and explorers to this part of the country. By 1900, unregulated exploitation left beaver almost extinct. Their removal, by extensive trapping, resulted in incised channels, loss of riparian and wetland areas, and loss of channel complexity critical to fish and invertebrate production. The beaver population in the U.S. has been reduced from a pre-European estimate of 60-400 million to a current level of 6-12 million’. As the role of beaver in managing and maintaining stream and riparian ecosystems has gained recognition, interest in the potential for reintroducing beaver to recover stream and riparian function in degraded ecosystems has grown. Beaver have been successfully transplanted into many watersheds throughout the United States during the past 50 years. This practice was very common during the 1950s after biologists realized the loss of ecological function resulting from over-trapping of beaver by fur traders before the turn of the century. Reintroduction has restored the beaver populations in some areas, but many areas are still devoid of beavers. For example, a
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report (5)
- 2004 Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines (2004)
- Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices (1998) — Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group
- Guidelines for the Reintroduction of Beaver into Southwest Montana Streams (1993) — Vore, John
- Riparian Area Management: Management Techniques in Riparian Areas (1992) — Smith, B. and D. Prichard
- Riparian Restoration and Management Technique
article (1)
- Alteration of North American streams by beaver (1988) — Naiman, R. J., C. A. Johnston, and J. C. Kelly
legislation (1)
- Washington Administrative Code 232-12-271
plan (1)
- 2004 Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines: Final Draft (2004)
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