Using Beaver Dams to Restore Incised Stream Ecosystems

Pollock, Michael M.; Beechie, Timothy J.; Wheaton, Joseph M.; Jordan, Chris E.; Bouwes, Nicolaas; Weber, Nicholas; Volk, Carol

doi:10.1093/biosci/biu036

Cited by 270 publications

(298 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…While beaver channel modification cannot prevent agricultural soil erosion, the reintroduction of beavers into headwaters may provide a means by which to trap sediment (and associated nutrients) in ponds and reconnect floodplains, limiting negative downstream impacts. For example, in North America beavers are increasingly used as a cost‐effective restoration tool to restore incised and eroding stream systems (Pollock et al ., 2014) and also to restore channel heterogeneity and fish habitat (Bouwes et al ., 2016). Results presented herein go some way to demonstrating that this could also be a viable strategy within the agricultural landscapes which prevail in Western Europe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment and nutrient storage in a beaver engineered wetland

Puttock

Graham

Carless

et al. 2018

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Beavers, primarily through the building of dams, can deliver significant geomorphic modifications and result in changes to nutrient and sediment fluxes. Research is required to understand the implications and possible benefits of widespread beaver reintroduction across Europe. This study surveyed sediment depth, extent and carbon/nitrogen content in a sequence of beaver pond and dam structures in South West England, where a pair of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) were introduced to a controlled 1.8 ha site in 2011. Results showed that the 13 beaver ponds subsequently created hold a total of 101.53 ± 16.24 t of sediment, equating to a normalised average of 71.40 ± 39.65 kg m2. The ponds also hold 15.90 ± 2.50 t of carbon and 0.91 ± 0.15 t of nitrogen within the accumulated pond sediment.The size of beaver pond appeared to be the main control over sediment storage, with larger ponds holding a greater mass of sediment per unit area. Furthermore, position within the site appeared to play a role with the upper‐middle ponds, nearest to the intensively‐farmed headwaters of the catchment, holding a greater amount of sediment. Carbon and nitrogen concentrations in ponds showed no clear trends, but were significantly higher than in stream bed sediment upstream of the site.We estimate that >70% of sediment in the ponds is sourced from the intensively managed grassland catchment upstream, with the remainder from in situ redistribution by beaver activity. While further research is required into the long‐term storage and nutrient cycling within beaver ponds, results indicate that beaver ponds may help to mitigate the negative off‐site impacts of accelerated soil erosion and diffuse pollution from agriculturally dominated landscapes such as the intensively managed grassland in this study. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment and nutrient storage in a beaver engineered wetland

Puttock

Graham

Carless

et al. 2018

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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“…Despite the rich literature on specific structural elements such as large woody debris (Abbe and Montgomery, 1996;Gurnell et al, 2002), restoration structures (e.g., Thompson, 2005), and beaver dams (Butler and Malanson, 1995;Pollock et al, 2014), there is no clear overarching definition for structural elements. The lack of a clear definition limits our ability to consistently map these features and to interpret their role in shaping rivers and habitat.…”

Section: Structural Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphic mapping and taxonomy of fluvial landforms

et al. 2015

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“…Restoring wetlands, reconnecting incised streams to their floodplains through the removal of retired roads or railroads, and installing structures that mimic the ecological services provided by beavers are all examples of natural infrastructure-based methods of slowing runoff and promoting water retention in dewatered basins [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Previous research on the feasibility of wetlands and other natural infrastructures to attenuate flood and waste water has yielded promising results [14,[23][24][25][26][27].…”

Section: Natural Infrastructure and The Quantification Of Natural Watmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research on the feasibility of wetlands and other natural infrastructures to attenuate flood and waste water has yielded promising results [14,[23][24][25][26][27]. Beaver mimicry structures, for instance, can improve water quality and slow water flow, generate riparian vegetation, enhance channel stability and wetland hydrologic processes, deliver ancillary benefits to fisheries, and provide cost-effective natural storage opportunities [15][16][17][18][19]21]. Interflow and percolation of water from flood irrigation are critical to the existence of many wetlands in the West [28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Natural Infrastructure and The Quantification Of Natural Watmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Geospatial Approach for Identifying and Exploring Potential Natural Water Storage Sites

Holmes

McEvoy

Dixon

et al. 2017

Water

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Across the globe, climate change is projected to affect the quantity, quality, and timing of freshwater availability. In western North America, there has been a shift toward earlier spring runoff and more winter precipitation as rain. This raises questions about the need for increased water storage to mitigate both floods and droughts. Some water managers have identified natural storage structures as valuable tools for increasing resiliency to these climate change impacts. However, identifying adequate sites and quantifying the storage potential of natural structures is a key challenge. This study addresses the need for a method for identifying and estimating floodplain water storage capacity in a manner that can be used by water planners through the development of a model that uses open-source geospatial data. This model was used to identify and estimate the storage capacity of a 0.33 km 2 floodplain segment in eastern Montana, USA. The result is a range of storage capacities under eight natural water storage conditions, ranging from 900 m 3 for small floods to 321,300 m 3 for large floods. Incorporating additional hydraulic inputs, stakeholder needs, and stakeholder perceptions of natural storage into this process can help address more complex questions about using natural storage structures as ecosystem-based climate change adaptation strategies.

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Using Beaver Dams to Restore Incised Stream Ecosystems

Cited by 270 publications

References 35 publications

Sediment and nutrient storage in a beaver engineered wetland

Sediment and nutrient storage in a beaver engineered wetland

Geomorphic mapping and taxonomy of fluvial landforms

A Geospatial Approach for Identifying and Exploring Potential Natural Water Storage Sites

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