This just in! Beavers fell trees! And late October is rife with reports of tree damage. Let me remind you why. See in lots of parts of the world it freezes in the winter and that means that beavers won’t be able to break through the ice and find supper whenever they feel like it. So having learned to plan ahead from their mothers and fathers, they cut down a mess of trees in October and stick them under the water where they can get to them even when the pond freezes. Just like when you put steaks in the freezer or lettuce in the vegetable drawer. Pretty smart huh?
I thought today I’d offer a selection of stories, from the sublime to the ridiculous and everything in between. Just a reminder, all of these reports are made possible because people haven’t yet committed the massive effort to read that pamphlet at the local hardware store or fish and game or on this and many websites that describes protecting trees with wire wrapping or abrasive painting. Apparently we have relied on ignorance for so long we are afraid to try this suspicious-looking new fruit of information.
Busy beaver fells tree, closes major road for 90 minutes
ETNA, Maine — At least one sharp-toothed beaver chewed through a tree, causing it to fall across Route 143 near its intersection with Burke Lane, blocking the busy road entirely to traffic for 90 minutes Monday afternoon.
“A beaver had cut a white birch that was about a foot-and-a-half in diameter and about 25 feet tall,” said Etna Fire Chief Shawn Ryder. “The whole road was blocked at the corner of 143 and Burke.”
The timing couldn’t have been much worse as it occurred about a half-hour before the school day ended at the nearby Etna-Dixmont School.
“The call came in at 2:34 p.m., and we were on scene within a few minutes,” said Ryder.
The nerve of that beaver! Selfishly thinking about his family’s survival and not paying attention at all to the demanding commute! Imagine all those poor children, late for school, and forced to learn about nature against their will! I’m not exactly sure why it took 90 minutes to move a felled tree, but I’m guessing that city staff came in with their chainsaws and hauled it painstakingly away- after bringing a back hoe to remove the stump of course. Coppicing? What’s that?
If you thought that was bad, get ready for this story of Sasquatch Beaver from Austin Texas where the good folks at ABC News apparently can’t tell a beaver apart from –what? Something else dead and inelegantly stuffed. Woodchuck? Big foot? Not really sure, I just know for sure that whatever this photo is it didn’t eat those trees.
“Their teeth continually grow, so they just need to chew on something to keep their teeth worn down,” Dolphin explained.
And the recent increase in beaver-damaged trees could be the animals’ way of getting ready for cold weather.
“Typically this time of year you’ll see a food cache where they will be storing up trees for the winter,” naturalist Larry Dolphin told us.
But regardless of why the trees are being taken down…
“We can’t leave those trees there in the condition the beaver leaves them in. We have to remove them,” said Park and Rec Director Kim Underwood. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Or the trees to grow back. And sprout new trees! We wouldn’t want that! For incomprehensible reasons I can’t embed the news clip in the story, but you really should go see it yourself. Being as it’s Austin this is probably the best reception beavers are likely to get in Texas, but a little information would go a long way!
More tree cutting drama from Massachusetts, but this time with the addition of energy and information! A whole new result!
Eagle Scout project at wildlife sanctuary protects trees from beaver damage
Daniel Zeheb, 16, spent a week last July at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield working to protect more than 60 trees from damage by beavers. The project was the final step in attaining his Eagle Scout ranking. He earned the rank and badge in September during his Court of Honor ceremony at Trinitarian Congregational Church in North Andover.
Go Daniel go! We love it when people use their healthy minds and bodies to solve problems without trapping! Good work all! You might want to check this sooner than 10 years though because that wire looks a little snug and when the tree grows it could be a problem. Why not experiment with abrasive painting on some of the trees? It will look better and cost less, and you could get some cub scouts involved.
Now I’d love to stay and gossip about beavers chewing trees in Virginia or Oregon, but I have to write a woman in Idaho about whose trees are being nibbled and wonders if they can be relocated? I will end this post with some links to tree protection information, so that people can look at it easier.
Protecting trees: Worth A Dam
Tree Protection: Beaver Solutions
Protecting Trees and More: Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife
Challenges: The Lands Council
Working with Beaver: Sherri Tippie and the Grand Canyon Trust
That should get everyone started. If you need more google “Beavers Tree Protection” and scan through your options!
