Vanessa Petro

Oregon Department of Forestry

American beaver (Castor canadensis) have been translocated for population restoration, reduction of human‐wildlife conflict, and enhancement of ecosystem function. Yet few studies have assessed dispersal of beaver, making it difficult to determine at what scale translocations are appropriate. Genetic studies can provide inferences about gene flow,...

Interest in beaver-related restoration is growing in the western U.S. but understanding the basic ecology of American beaver and their population dynamics is often overlooked when integrating beaver into stream restoration goals. Our study investigated the spatial-temporal distribution of beaver colonies and their damming activities to better infor...

Relocating American beavers (Castor canadensis) from unwanted sites to desirable sites (i.e., where damage exceeds stakeholder capacity) has been posited as a method to enhance in-stream habitat for salmonids in the Pacific Northwest region of the US; however, no studies have evaluated this method. From September–December 2011, we trapped and reloc...

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have roles in gene regulation, epigenetics, and molecular scaffolding and it is hypothesized that they underlie some mammalian evolutionary adaptations. However, for many mammalian species, the absence of a genome assembly precludes the comprehensive identification of lncRNAs. The genome of the American be...

Animal habitat selection, among other ecological phenomena, is spatially scale dependent. Habitat selection by American beavers (Castor canadensis; hereafter beaver) has been studied at singular spatial scales, but to date no research addresses multi-scale selection. Our objectives were to determine if beaver habitat selection was specialized to se...

Mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is the most primitive rodent species in North America and is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, USA. Within their range, mountain beaver cause more conflict with conifer forest regeneration than any other vertebrate species. Most damage occurs as a result of clipping and browsing new seedlings, which reduces stockin...

Pools provided by beaver (Castor canadensis) contribute to critical habitat requirements of salmonids in fluvial systems of the Pacific Northwest, therefore more land managers are interested in managing watersheds that include beavers or engaging in beaver-related restoration projects. We evaluated the utility of applying an existing beaver habitat...

This publication is part of a series from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute that aims to synthesize current research findings and make information available to foresters, wildlife managers and landowners as well as interested parties such as conservation organizations, regulators and policymakers.

Many stakeholders involved with stream restoration in the Pacific Northwest have discussed the potential benefits of using beaver dam construction activities (Castor canadensis) as a management tool to improve degraded stream habitat for anadromous salmon species. In addition, there has been growing interest in using nuisance beavers, primarily con...

American beavers (Castor canadensis) cause physical state changes in biotic and abiotic materials through dam building; however, not all beavers build dams. Where dams occur, these state changes have been shown to increase biological diversity, recharge aquifers, and restore riparian and in-stream habitats. In the Pacific Northwest, beaver dams cre...