8097

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8097
• Author: American Fisheries Society.
• Title: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Meeting, Colorado - Wyoming Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
• USFW Year: 1983.
• USFW - Doc Type: March 2-3, 1983.
• Copyright Material: NO

INTEGRATION OF BEAVER INTO FOREST MANAGEMENT

GREG L. MUNTHER

ZONE FISHERIES BIOLOGIST
BITTERROOT, DEERLODGE, AND LOLO NATIONAL FORESTS

ABSTRACT

The land manager of the 1980's has the opportunity to use beaver
as a management tool to meet a variety of Forest resource objec-
tives. To do this, he or she must understand the relationships of
beaver to other resources, as well as evaluate how beaver can
meet these objectives. The Lolo National Forest in western
Montana is attempting to integrate beaver into its management
program.

INTRODUCTION

In the past, beaver populations have fluctuated as a function of fur
prices, habitat changes and populations removal to facilitate activities
or structures 'that were hampered by beaver acti vi ties. Historically,
beaver management has consisted primarily of regulation of harvest to pre-
vent overtrapping or directed removal of beaver in attempts to alleviate
beaver damage. Harvest regulations were usually issued over such a large
area that some populations were entirely eliminated or severely reduced,
while others in the same regulatory area were not optimally exploited.
Directed control of beaver was often successful for a short period of
time, but as long as the habitat conditions existed, eventually the prob-
lems reoccurred as beaver populations reinhabited suitable habitat.
Unfortunately, deliberate or accidental elimination of colonies also
resulted in loss of the positive indirect benefits beaver activities pro-
vided.
Beaver influence wildlife, water quantity, water quality, fish habitat
and fish populations, esthetics and recreation opportunities, relation-
ship of cattle to riparian and streambank condition, forest vegetative
condition, and condition of transportation facilities or other structural
development. Whether beaver have a negative or positive influence depends
on the individual site conditions and whether the land manager has deter-
mined a priority of objectives for the area. After assessment of these
objectives, it is possible to determine whether beaver will have a role in
meeting these objectives, will be detrimental to the objectives, or will
not influence the objectives. It is imperative that the land manager recog-
nize the potential of the site as beaver habitat, how the suitability of
the habitat might be influenced, and what role beaver can be expected
to play. Understanding the relationships of beaver to other resources
and resource activities is the first step in integration of beaver into
forest management.

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