Beaver have long been known as ecosystem engineers - altering their habitats in ways that benefit themselves and change the function of the ecosystem in which they enter. For instance, beaver will move to a new location with running water where they will fell trees effectively slowing down the flow of water. Here, a new ecosystem of slow moving to no-flow water forms, allowing for a shift in the ecosystems composition. But, did you know that beaver can also alter the effects of climate change? As climate change continues altering precipitation patterns worldwide and leading to the drying of lands, the retention of water in fire-prone ecosystems is becoming increasingly important. Once these fire-prone ecosystems dry, wildfires are able to rage out of control with no natural firebreaks left due to the drying of ponds and streams. Kenneth McDarment, a councilman of the Tule River Tribe in the foothills of the Sierras, had the idea to reintroduce beaver to tribal lands that have experienced significantly worsening wildfire seasons. This idea came into being from the knowledge that beaver create wetland habitats wherever they go. However, the problem with reintroducing beaver into their historic ranges is that in most states it is illegal to move beaver. Here, tribes decided to build man-made beaver dams in hopes that beaver would return on their own - and it worked! Figure 1: North American Beaver cutting down tree (Troy Harrison / Getty Images)
With beaver reintroduced to tribal lands, scientists have found the retention of surface water in the landscape increased by 2.5 percent. Dr. Emily Fairfax discovered through her research that beaver ponds, no matter how few or many, were able to protect land from wildfires. Furthermore, she discovered that areas along streams with no beaver present were on average 3 times more affected by wildfires than their beaver-dammed counterparts. The next time you are out near a stream, look for signs of beaver. Before European colonization of North America, beaver could be found in each of the contiguous 48-states. These creatures are true masters of the environment - as both ecosystem engineers and ecosystem saviors. As an added bonus, when near water, you never know when you might see one. Sources and Further Reading: Hall, A. (2016). Exploring with Beavers, Nature’s Ecosystem Engineers. https://defenders.org/blog/2016/09/exploring-beavers-natures-ecosystem-engineers Sherriff, L. (2021). Beavers Are Firefighters Who Work for Free Is it time to rethink beaver relocation bans? https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/wildfires-tek-beavers-are-firefighters-who-work-for-free de Visser S., Thébault, E., & de Ruiter, P.C. (2012). Ecosystem Engineers, Keystone Species. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-5755-8_4 C2ES. Drought and Climate Change. Accessed 2 February 2022 from https://www.c2es.org/content/drought-and-climate-change/#:~:text=How%20climate%20change%20contributes%20to,the%20timing%20of%20water%20availability.
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