Mountain beavers cause the most serious damage to which type of plantation?

Mountain beavers cause the most serious damage to which type of plantation?

• A. Douglas fir plantations
• B. Ponderosa pine plantations
• C. Lodgepole pine plantations
• D. Hemlock plantations

Answer: (A)

Mountain beavers damage conifer seedlings by gnawing through the stem near ground level, girdling them and causing mortality as seedlings establish. This feeding pattern is especially problematic in young plantations where seedlings are concentrated and easy targets. Douglas-fir stands are the most affected because this species is the dominant plantation species in the Pacific Northwest, and its seedlings are highly attractive to beavers. The combination of abundant Douglas-fir seedlings in moist, shaded plantation conditions and the beaver’s preference for tender bark and cambium makes Douglas-fir plantations the location where damage is most serious. The other species listed—ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and hemlock—either occur less frequently as plantations in the same areas or are less preferred by mountain beavers, so they experience less severe damage in practice.

Mountain beavers damage conifer seedlings by gnawing through the stem near ground level, girdling them and causing mortality as seedlings establish. This feeding pattern is especially problematic in young plantations where seedlings are concentrated and easy targets.

Douglas-fir stands are the most affected because this species is the dominant plantation species in the Pacific Northwest, and its seedlings are highly attractive to beavers. The combination of abundant Douglas-fir seedlings in moist, shaded plantation conditions and the beaver’s preference for tender bark and cambium makes Douglas-fir plantations the location where damage is most serious. The other species listed—ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and hemlock—either occur less frequently as plantations in the same areas or are less preferred by mountain beavers, so they experience less severe damage in practice.