20240721 (56)_Beaver_Works
As seen on TV... the reveal of Canterbury's city centre European Beavers, part of a healthy population on the River Stour in Kent, was one of the surprises of 2024. Accessibility could hardly be better and the locals we talked to were very proud of their new neighbours. One of the usual worries when beavers appear is that rivers will be denuded of trees but this could not be further from the truth. Beavers do cut wood for food and building purposes but tree felling is infrequent and this was the only work in progress we saw up and down the river in Canterbury. Their activity means riverine woodland always contains a mix of tree ages, keeping growth vigorous: they also eat a lot of green bankside herbage and clip overhanging branches a foot or so above water level keeping the water surface clear for the drifting floats and lines of anglers.
20240721 (56)_Beaver_Works
As seen on TV... the reveal of Canterbury's city centre European Beavers, part of a healthy population on the River Stour in Kent, was one of the surprises of 2024. Accessibility could hardly be better and the locals we talked to were very proud of their new neighbours. One of the usual worries when beavers appear is that rivers will be denuded of trees but this could not be further from the truth. Beavers do cut wood for food and building purposes but tree felling is infrequent and this was the only work in progress we saw up and down the river in Canterbury. Their activity means riverine woodland always contains a mix of tree ages, keeping growth vigorous: they also eat a lot of green bankside herbage and clip overhanging branches a foot or so above water level keeping the water surface clear for the drifting floats and lines of anglers.