Beaver Protocol

The Beaver Protocol is an assessment of beaver activity, dam & complex surveys, beaver translocations, and potential conflicts. This protocol is intended to assist with LTPBR planning & monitoring to evaluate & assess potential restoration sites for beaver presence, to collect field data and compare with modelled (e.g., BRAT) outputs, or to monitor as-builts for active beaver activity & use of LTPBR structures.

Protocol Summary

Attribute	Value
Name	Beaver Protocol
Status	Experimental Grade
Version	1.0
XML URL	https://github.com/Riverscapes/RiverscapesXML/blob/master/QRiS/protocols/beaver_protocol.xml
Citation	NA
Authors	Zach Burgert

Layers & Metrics

Type	Metrics	Description
Point	NA	Observations of beaver activity such as dens, lodges, chewed trees, and food caches, etc.

Type	Metrics	Description
Point	`Dam Count`,`Dam Density`, `Active Dam Count`, `Active Dam Density`, `Inactive Dam Count`, `Inactive Dam Density`	Beaver dam survey standardized for Anabranch Solutions including information on type, status, & maintainance

Type	Metrics	Description
Point	NA	Beaver complex survey standardized for Anabranch Solutions including information on count of primary dams, secondary dams, total dams, and uncertainty

Type	Metrics	Description
Point	NA	Beaver translocation survey standardized for Anabranch Solutions including information on type, # of kits released, # of sub-adults released, # of adults released, and total # of beaver released

Type	Metrics	Description
Point	NA	LTPBR structure types defined in Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Design and Monitoring Protocol: Standard Methods for Developing Project Designs and Assessing Riverscape Health Version 2.0 (from Weber et al. 2024).

Type	Metrics	Description
Polygon	NA	Assessment of previous, current, & future conflicts between beaver activity and infrastructure, landowners, agriculture, etc.

Details

How to Use This Protocol

This protocol uses multiple layers organized into groups to collect data related to beaver acitivity. Below is a breakdown of each layer and how it should be used within this protocol.

Beaver Activity: Collects information on type of beaver activity observed.
Dam Survey: Collects information (type, status, maintenance) on beaver dams surveyed.
Complex Survey: Collects information (number of primary dams, secondary dams, total dams) on beaver complexes surveyed.
Beaver Translocations: Collects information related to beaver translocation sites (type of site, counts of beaver released).
LTPBR Structures: Identifies locations of previously built LTPBR structures.
Beaver Conflict: Collects information on potential conflicts between beaver activity and anthropogenic features (infrastructure, landowners, agriculture, etc.).

Video Demonstration

Layer Attributes

Type	Description
Bank Den	NA
Bank Lodge	NA
Canal	NA
Chew Stick	NA
Clipped Vegetation	NA
Felled Tree	NA
Food Cache	NA
Harvested Branches	NA
Other	NA
Pond Excavation	NA
Pond Lodge	NA
Scat	NA
Scent Mound	NA
Set of Tracks	NA
Skid Trail	NA
Slide	NA

Type	Description
Primary Beaver Dam	Main dam that beaver use as residence and to cache food. These tend to be the largest dams & typically have a den or lodge assoicated with them.
Secondary Beaver Dam	Smaller, auxillary dams used to support the primary dam against flooding or to expand deep water habitat for protection & access to food sources.
Beaver Occupied Primary BDA	Primary BDA built by construction crews that is now occupied by beaver.
Beaver Occupied Secondary BDA	Secondary BDA built by construction crews that is now occupied by beaver.

Dam Status	Description
Intact	Little evidence of breaching or erosion around the structure, flow is primarily spilling over and/or flowing through the structure and water surface gradients are near 0.
Breached	Some evidence of breaching as vegetative material and/or post loss, and/or erosion of the banks or streambed. Flow is concentrated near the breach, but the structure is still impounding water and reducing the water surface gradient and velocity behind the dam.
Blown Out	A large portion of the structure has been damaged and/or lost during high flows. Water surface gradient is consistent with the streambed, and velocities are also similar or greater than unimpounded channel sections.

Actively Maintained	Description
Yes	Significant evidence that dam in currently being maintaned by beaver (e.g., fresh cuttings near dam, tracks or scat present, food cache observed, etc.).
No	Little to no evidence that dam is currently being maintained by beaver (e.g., vegetation growth on dam, older building material used, etc.).

Fields	Description
Number of Primary Dams	Total count of primary dams within the beaver complex
Number of Secondary Dams	Total count of secondary dams within the beaver complex
Number of Dams	Total count of all dams within the beaver complex including primary and secondary dams
Uncertainity	Numeric value represting the uncertainty of the surveyor in identifying all dams within the beaver complex

Fields	Description
Type	Type of translocation site including capture site where beaver are trapped, holding site where beaver are held for release, or release site where beaver are released
Number of Kits	Total number of beaver kits (juveniles) captured, held, or released at the translocation site
Number of Sub-Adults	Total number of beaver sub-adults captured, held, or released at the translocation site
Number of Adults	Total number of beaver adults captured, held, or released at the translocation site
Number of Beaver	Total number of beaver (including kits, sub-adults, and adults) captured, held, or released at the translocation site

Attribute	Structure Class	Description
ALS	Wood Accumulation	Assisted log structure being a placed woody debris accumulation that does not include posts.
ALS - Bank Attached	Wood Accumulation	ALS built extending from the bank towards the channel.
ALS - Bank Blaster	Wood Accumulation	An ALS oriented to enhance bank erosion.
ALS - Channel Spanning	Wood Accumulation	ALS built across the entire channel from bank to bank.
ALS - Rhino	Wood Accumulation	ALS built to the rhino structure design specification.
BDA	Beaver Dam Analog	The general term describing a semi-permeable – channel-spanning structural element designed to mimic the form and function of a natural beaver dam.
BDA Postless	Beaver Dam Analog	A BDA constructed without the use of posts driven into the streambed that would be used to add stability to vegetative fill material.
Bag Plugs	Vegetation Production	Structural treatment that uses bags made up of organic material, usually burlap, that can be filled with sediment and placed. Bag plug structures often mimic vegetative mases that might sluff into the channel.
Fell Tree	Wood Accumulation	Strategic felling of a tree within a riverscape.
Floodplain BDA	Beaver Dam Analog	A BDA structure constructed on floodplain surfaces, i.e., not build in an existing active channel anabranch.
Floodplain LWD	Wood Accumulation	Placement of any large woody debris on the floodplain.
Full Tree	Wood Accumulation	Placement of an entire tree whether fell, grip hoisted or positioned using another means.
Grip Hoist Tree	Wood Accumulation	A tree that has fallen or that could be fell and then repositioned as a structural element using a grip-hoist.
Headcut Treatment	Other	Any structural treatment intended to arrest headcut progression.
Leaky Dam	Wood Accumulation	A channel spanning accumulation of smaller woody material with a high degree of porosity.
One Rock Dam	Zeedyk Structure	A grade control structure build with a single layer of rock designed to stabilize the bed of channel by increasing roughness.
PALS	Wood Accumulation	A post – assisted log structure, general term for a structural treatment constructed of woody debris secured in an accumulation by driving posts into the stream channel or floodplain.
PALS - Bank Attached	Wood Accumulation	PALS that are attached to the margin (bank) of the active channel. Generally intended to direct flow away from the attached bank and potentially encouraging bar formation and lateral erosion and/or migration of the active channel.
PALS - Bank Blaster	Wood Accumulation	PALS that are oriented to direct flow into a bank to enhance rates and magnitudes of bank erosion.
PALS - Channel Spanning	Wood Accumulation	PALS build with sufficient material to span an active channel. Generally intended to enhance channel aggradation rates and/or encourage floodplain connectivity.
PALS - Constriction Jet	Wood Accumulation	PALS that are constructed to direct flow into another non-erosive surface (boulder or armored bank) to enhance rates of bank or bed erosion.
PALS - Left Bank Attached	Wood Accumulation	A left bank attached PALS.
PALS - Mid Channel	Wood Accumulation	PALS built mid-channel, generally intended to enhance topographic complexity and bar formation.
PALS - Rhino	Wood Accumulation	A specific PALS recipe used in large streams with high stream power. The structure is built to maximize contact with the stream bed and has a narrow upstream profile extending into a thick base downstream much like the horn of a rhino.
PALS - Right Bank Attached	Wood Accumulation	Right bank attached PALS.
Post and Brush Plug	Vegetation Production	Densely packing small vegetation around rows of posts driven into the channel to form a channel spanning dam-like structure.
Postline Wicker Weave	Beaver Dam Analog	A variant of a BDA in which woody branches are woven between posts in a fashion similar to wicker furniture construction. Produces a flat dam structure with a thin longitudinal profile.
Primary BDA	Beaver Dam Analog	A large BDA that is generally designed and placed to have the greatest hydrologic and geomorphic impact. ‘Primary’ comes from beaver complexes that commonly contain one or more large pond-forming dams that are surrounded by smaller secondary dams.
Rhino	Wood Accumulation	The structure is built to maximize contact with the stream bed and has a narrow upstream profile extending into a thick base downstream much like the horn of a rhino.
Secondary BDA	Beaver Dam Analog	In a complex of BDA structures, secondary BDAs are often constructed downstream a Primary BDA to dispute gradient or within non-primary or overflow channels.
Sedge Plugs	Vegetation Production	Cutting densely packed bricks of earth that are held together by sedges into the active channel spanning structure.
Spreaders	Zeedyk Structure	A rock-lined depositional area designed to disperse channelized flow and restore sheet flow.
Strategic Felling	Wood Accumulation	Felling of trees into the channel or floodplain.
Tight PALS (BDA without sod)	Wood Accumulation	A channel spanning PALS built of small woody material. Similar but more porous than a typical BDA.
Tree Dam	Wood Accumulation	A fell tree intended to act as a channel spanning dam, may have additional vegetative material, sediment, or sod additions to further decrease porosity.
Tree Plug	Wood Accumulation	Using a single large fell tree to create a channel spanning dam-like structure.
Vanes	Zeedyk Structure	An in-channel structure usually constructed of posts and designed to induce meandering and point formation.
Wicker Weirs	Zeedyk Structure	A specific PALS recipe used in large streams with high stream power. The structure is built to maximize contact with the stream bed and has a narrow upstream profile extending into a thick base downstream much like the horn of a rhino.
Wood Jam	Wood Accumulation	Analogous to ALS being a placed accumulation of woody material that does not include driven posts.
Zuni Bowl	Zeedyk Structure	An in-channel headcut control structure composed of rock-lined step falls and plunge pools intended to arrest the progression of headcuts.

Fields	Description
Risk Type	Type of anthropogenic risk associated with nearby beaver activity including infrastructure, landowner/property, agriculture, or other (value can also be defined by the user).
Status	Determines if risk is historic, current, or will occur in the future. User can select multiple statuses if applicable.

Metric Attributes

Metric	Description	Calculation
Dam Count	Sum of all beaver dams surveyed in sample frame	`Sum(Beaver Dams)`

Metric	Description	Calculation
Dam Density	Density of beaver dams surveyed in sample frame	`Sum(Beaver Dams)/Valley Bottom Centerline Length`

Metric	Description	Calculation
Active Dam Count	Sum of all beaver dams actively maintained in sample frame	`Sum(Maintained Beaver Dams)`

Metric	Description	Calculation
Active Dam Density	Density of beaver dams actively maintained in sample frame	`Sum(Maintained Beaver Dams)/Valley Bottom Centerline Length`

Metric	Description	Calculation
Inactive Dam Count	Sum of all beaver dams not actively maintained in sample frame	`Sum(Non-Maintained Beaver Dams)`

Metric	Description	Calculation
Inactive Dam Density	Density of beaver dams not actively maintained in sample frame	`Sum(Non-Maintained Beaver Dams)/Valley Bottom Centerline Length`

Resources

Weber et al. 2024

Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Design and Monitoring Protocol: Standard Methods for Developing Project Designs and Assessing Riverscape Health