This beaver-dammed wetland in Baugh Creek, Idaho, serves as a firebreak and refuge for other species during wildfires. Photo Credit: Joe Wheaton, Utah State University Department of Watershed Sciences

Smokey the Beaver: How Beavers Build Fire-Resistant Landscapes

Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual Sips 'n' Science on Zoom webinar with Dr. Emily Fairfax on November 28, 2023. Below is the recorded presentation, ready for viewing and sharing!

Synopsis: Beaver dams and beaver mimicry (e.g. Beaver Dam Analogs) are gaining popularity as a low‐cost, nature-based strategy to build climate resiliency at the landscape scale. Beavers slow and store water in their ponds, canals, and the surrounding soil during wet periods which can then be accessed by riparian vegetation during droughts. As a result, the well-watered vegetation in beaver-dammed riparian corridors is less flammable. Emily's research has shown that these beaver-influenced patches of the landscape stay green and can serve as fire refugia, preserving intact, mature riparian habitat, even during megafires. Perhaps instead of relying solely on human engineering and management to create and maintain fire‐resistant waterways and riparian zones, we could benefit from partnering with beaver’s ecosystem engineering to achieve the same goals at a lower cost.

About the Speaker

Emily Fairfax is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota and an affiliate faculty member at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. Dr. Fairfax double majored in Chemistry and Physics as an undergraduate at Carleton College, then went on to earn a PhD in Geological Sciences with an emphasis in Hydrologic Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder. She uses a combination of remote sensing, modeling, and field work to understand how beaver ecosystem engineering can create drought and fire-resistant patches in the landscape under a changing climate.  Her research has been featured internationally in National Geographic, the New York Times, the LA Times, BBC, Vox, and others. When Dr. Fairfax says she can talk about beavers all day, she’s not kidding.

Check out this stop-motion video created by Emily to illustrate how beaver-built wetlands are uniquely resistant to disturbances like droughts and fire!

Thank you to Pacific Power Foundation, which helped provide the funding that made this event possible!

​The Pacific Power Foundation is part of the PacifiCorp Foundation, one of the largest utility-endowed foundations in the United States. The foundation was created by PacifiCorp, an energy company that serves over 2 million customers across a diverse six-state region as Rocky Mountain Power (Utah, Wyoming and Idaho) and Pacific Power (Oregon, Washington and California). The foundation’s mission, through charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of the communities served by Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power. Since it started in 1988, the foundation has awarded more than $60 million to nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.rockymountainpower.net/foundation or www.pacificpower.net/foundation.