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The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications to Baseline Conditions for Restoration of Forested Headwaters

Citation

Denise Burchsted, Melinda Daniels, Jason Vokoun, and Robert Thorson, The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications to Baseline Conditions for Restoration of Forested Headwaters: .

Summary

Billions of dollars are being spent in the United States to restore rivers to a desired, yet often unknown, reference condition. In lieu of a known reference, practitioners typically assume the paradigm of a connected watercourse. Geological and ecological processes, however, create patchy and discontinuous fluvial systems. One of these processes, dam building by North American beavers (Castor canadensis), generated discontinuities throughout precolonial river systems of northern North America. Under modern conditions, beaver dams create dynamic sequences of ponds and wet meadows among free-flowing segments. One beaver impoundment alone can exceed 1000 meters along the river, flood the valley laterally, and fundamentally alter biogeochemical [...]

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  • Upper Colorado River Basin

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From Source - Mendeley RIS export <br> On - Tue May 10 10:31:37 CDT 2011

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Title Citation The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications to Baseline Conditions for Restoration of Forested Headwaters

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