By linking pond size to dam length, vegetation and stream power, researchers give land managers more precise tools to anticipate water storage, biodiversity and climate resilience.
By Mackenzie White
Across the Rockies and Great Plains, beaver dams interrupt narrow streams, slowing currents into chains of ponds that reshape channels and spread wetlands across valleys. The mud-and-stick barriers create habitat for willows and cottonwoods, sustain corridors of green vegetation long after surrounding hills have browned, and soften the force of floods.
By Mackenzie White
Across the Rockies and Great Plains, beaver dams interrupt narrow streams, slowing currents into chains of ponds that reshape channels and spread wetlands across valleys. The mud-and-stick barriers create habitat for willows and cottonwoods, sustain corridors of green vegetation long after surrounding hills have browned, and soften the force of floods.