Beavers Could Help in Adapting to Climate Change

But Jen Vanderhoof of Washington State’s King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks wants to help redeem this hard-working rodent’s reputation.

“We’re very obviously concerned about climate change, and I feel like beavers could help us,” she said.

In the Northwest, warming temperatures and earlier snowmelt could cause water shortages in the summer. But Vanderhoof said that after beavers build a dam, “not only do you have more water being stored on the surface, but it’s also filtering down into the groundwater, and so you’re storing more water both above and below the surface that way.”

Beaver ponds can also help slow water down as it flows through a watershed. That can help prevent erosion and reduce flooding after heavy precipitation.

Vanderhoof said the wet landscapes that beavers create can even help control wildfires.

“They are basically creating natural fire breaks,” she said.

So she helps people find ways to manage beavers on their properties without killing or trapping them. And she said in some areas, introducing beavers can provide important climate benefits.

“They’ve got it all figured out,” she said. “If we can just figure out how to work with them a little bit better.”