June 13, 2021 - Beaver

This week’s photos tell a conflicted story. We have a large, occupied, Beaver lodge on the shore of our lake in northern Minnesota. On the one hand, I am an enthusiastic wildlife supporter so, in general, I welcome all the “critters” that are around us. On the other hand, Beavers can be very destructive.

BeaverAmericanlodgeDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425

Beavers are mainly active at night, so we seldom get to actually see them. On the rare occasions that I have seen a Beaver during the day, the head is about all that is visible as it swims along the shore.

BeaverAmericanDunningLakeItascaCounty20210608

However, the effects of the Beaver activity are seen all around the lake. With their strong, sharp teeth, they cut down trees so they can get access to the leaves and small branches. This ash tree was right in front of our house.

BeaverdamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210405

In order to save some of the other trees on our shoreline, I installed some wire fencing around them.

BeaverdamagecontrolDunningLakeItascaCounty20210609

They eat the inner bark of trees. As a result, stripped branches are a common sight along the shoreline.

BeaverAmericantreedamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425

I think these were Alder trees. The whole group of them was taken down by Beavers.

BeaverAmericantreedamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425

They don’t restrict themselves to the shoreline either. On a walk through our woods, I came across this tree taken down by Beavers and it was probably 100 yards from the shore. I put my binoculars in the photo to show how large this tree was. The ends of the tree and the stump are very weathered, so it was probably taken down several years ago.

BeaverAmericantreedamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425

Here’s another large tree taken down in the woods. It’s been down long enough to have mushrooms growing on the cut surfaces.

BeaverAmericantreedamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425

Apparently, our Birch trees are even being targeted by the Beavers. The light color of the cut shows that this is a recent, unfinished project for the Beavers. So, here’s my dilemma. I like wildlife, I also realize that Beavers can create great environmental habitats in some cases, but they are taking out many of our trees.

BeaverAmericantreedamageDunningLakeItascaCounty20210425