The Beaver was exterminated from much of its range by fur trappers, but is now being re- established in most of its former range, either deliberately or by the natural spread of the species. The majority of the diet of the Beaver consists of the bark and twigs of a variety of trees. Favorite food trees consist of aspen, poplar, birch, willow, and alder. Beavers cannot climb so they chop the trees down with their large, strong incisors and peal the bark from the trees. The felled trees and shrubs are also used in the construction of their dams and lodges.
Beavers are famous for the construction of dams.
The dams form ponds along streams providing a living space for the Beavers and also favoring tree species the Beavers relish as food such as willows and alders. With time the ponds fill with sediment and produce meadows in the middle of the forest. Beavers live in the lodges during both the summer and the winter. Beavers will also constuct a network of canals to assist in moving felled trees to the pond. A dam and lodge is home to a group of Beavers consisting of the parents, one-year olds and the new born kits.