"They think returning beavers to our floodplains should be a part of our climate action plans."

"When beavers are allowed to do what beavers do, it’s good for us and the climate.

That’s the conclusion of Northwest researchers who are looking to improve water quality and curb our carbon output.

Chris Jordan, biologist with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, co-authored a paper on how beavers should be a part of our climate action plan. He says the dams and channels beavers build have beneficial impacts on both water quality and quantity.

“They’re slowing the water down as it moves across the landscape, " Jordan says. “It gives the things that might be in that water that have washed off the land…a chance to settle out so it’s not moved downstream.”"

Geoff Norcross and Rolando Hernandez report for Oregon Public Broadcasting May 3, 2022. [2]