A Safer Way to Protect Trees From Beaver Damage

Do you have a problem with beavers? Do you need to deter them from damaging your property, but you don't want to harm them? Well, you could wrap your trees with cylindrical cages, but that really compromises their beauty. We recently learned about a better method. Here's a safer way to protect trees from beaver damage without damaging the tree's appearance.

We're not typically in the business of animal management, so we've really never considered this issue before. But, recently we received an interesting message from the Senior Advisor of Wildlife Response & Policy from The Humane Society of The United States. He told us how they use ECOS Paints mixed with sand to prevent beavers from chewing on trees. The paint is applied about two feet up the trunk of the tree, and it acts as a deterrent to the beaver.

A group of volunteers calling themselves The Beaver Backers work to prevent the culling or trapping of beavers. They say that painting the trees rather than building fences is the easiest and least harmful way to keep the beavers and the trees safe. The Grand Forks Herald reported how 30 volunteers painted about 1,300 trees in November 2015 to stop the city from trapping and removing beavers from the area. What a clever solution to help protect the beaver population while also keeping parks and private property from being damaged! 

Here are some photos that the Humane Society shared with us of the volunteers painting trees.

As an added bonus for safety, by using ECOS Exterior Paints, even if a beaver did choose to chew on the painted bark, it shouldn't pose any harm since our paints are non-toxic* to people and animals. Thanks to the Humane Society for sharing their story!