Using beaver capacity models: the importance of local knowledge

Introduction: Understanding where and how many dams beavers (Castor canadensis) will build is an important habitat restoration question, especially as beavers are increasingly recognized for their ecosystem-scale benefits and as beaver-related restoration accelerates. Several models exist for predicting the dam building behavior of beavers in North America. However, not all of these models are applicable outside of the ecoregions where they were developed or validated. Objectives: We review 11 existing North American beaver dam building and habitat suitability models, and we map the ecoregions where those models are intended to work. Results: A variety of beaver capacity and suitability models exist across North America, but many ecoregions do not have validated models. Given the adaptability of beavers for using local building materials, applying models to new regions where the model has not been calibrated can be difficult and can produce inaccurate results.