A dam is an ingenious arrangement of wooden logs and branches that form the structure’s reinforcement. To seal it, the animals use large amounts of silt, mud, turf and finely chopped plant parts. They carefully carry and arrange all these materials.
What is all this effort for?
Foresters:
The aim is to raise the water level by blocking its outflow in the area where the beavers have decided to settle. When choosing a place to settle, these aquatic engineers take the terrain into account. A favorable location is a section where the river channel runs through a significant depression in the terrain. This makes the beavers’ work easier, and they only need to block natural passages using narrow points in the terrain.
They add:
Hard-working beavers build several dams along one watercourse, allowing them to flood a larger area. They immediately repair any damage to a dam. The accumulated water is essential for constructing other beaver structures, such as burrows, lodges (shelters), as well as a network of canals and food stores.
What is more, beavers are protected. Destroying their habitats, including dams, is prohibited. More below:
Nadleśnictwo Bolesławiec on dams