Modeling Beaver Dam Effects on Ecohydraulics and Sedimentation in an Agricultural Watershed

Populations of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) have increased in recent decades throughout the agricultural Midwestern U.S., leading to an increase in the frequency of beaver dams in small streams. The impact of beaver dams on channel structure in this region is not known. Our field observations indicate that beaver dams are too dynamic and their affects on channel structure occur over longer time frames than is practical to study with field measurements. Modeling is therefore needed to determine if beaver dams will help stabilize and aggrade incised streams. The objective of this paper is to determine how a channel evolution model (CONCEPTS) might be used to predict the impact of beaver dams on channel structure.