Beavers making a mark in river valley
City and MVA say they aren’t alarmed by number of trees felled by rodents
Avid cyclist Blaine Nazarenko has always noticed a few trees taken down by beavers here and there along Saskatoon’s riverbank over the years, but recently he was surprised to see how many trees they had started to work on near the Traffic Bridge.
His cycling path takes him along the downtown side of the South Saskatchewan River, where he noticed several pointy stumps, and evidence that beavers have marked other trees for future work.
“What I’ve seen this year, the past two years, is shocking, in my opinion,” he said.
Nazarenko is concerned the landscape of the riverbank area could look different due to the beaver activity.
The city hasn’t noticed any exceptional changes in beaver activity year-over-year, said the City of Saskatoon’s entomologist, Jeff Boone.
When there’s a new lodge in the river valley there’s usually corresponding beaver activity that surrounds the new lodge fairly quickly, he said.
The city is aware of several beaver lodges in the river valley that are occupied at different times, and the location of the lodges typically dictates where damage occurs, he said.
The city doesn’t have a formal beaver monitoring program, but shares the work to keep track of their activity with the Meewasin Valley Authority. The MVA’S resource management officer, Renny Grilz, said it’s natural for beavers — native to the valley — to move from location to location along the river.
Grilz said certain trees by the riverbank that are affected by beavers, such as trembling aspen and balsam poplar, will re-sprout and re-sucker.
“It’s not that beavers are destroying those native tree species, it’s actually helping them to rejuvenate themselves over time,” he said.
However, there is concern for landscaped trees, which are part of park spaces further inland from the river. Boone said more cost and maintenance is involved with those trees, so the city uses stucco wire cages to protect their trunks from beavers.
Members of the public are asked to contact the city if they see downed trees that could pose a safety hazard, such as pointed stumps.