Using the EEAGER dam detection model with BC's 0.5m orthophotos, we're identifying beaver dams across entire watersheds—no expensive infrastructure required. This isn't future tech. It's working today.
See How It WorksForget everything you think you know about watershed management. While we've been engineering complex solutions, nature's been running a masterclass in water storage for millennia. Beavers—those flat-tailed engineers—hold the key to climate resilience in our forests.
The challenge is simple: Climate extremes mean winter floods and summer droughts. The solution? Partner with nature's best water managers and scale it with AI.
Beaver-maintained streams flow 1-4 weeks longer in dry seasons
Improved fish passage and expanded wetland ecosystems
Peak flow attenuation during extreme weather events
Wetland creation locks carbon in soils and vegetation
We've moved from concept to application with a streamlined detection pipeline that any watershed team can use:
This brings professional-grade AI capabilities to watershed teams without the overhead of retraining models or expensive platforms.
Machine learning analyzes terrain, vegetation, and hydrology to identify optimal sites for beaver reintroduction or BDA installation.
Computer vision processes trail camera footage to track dam construction progress, beaver behavior, and wildlife utilization.
Models estimate water storage capacity, flow timing changes, and sediment transport dynamics.
Stress-testing sites under various drought and flood scenarios to prioritize interventions.
Our AI assistant generates publication-ready summaries and flags false positives in real time—saving hours of analyst time while improving accuracy.
Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) are human-built structures designed to mimic natural beaver dams and attract beavers back to altered streams. These low-tech structures require technical expertise to function effectively and safely.
This is an improvised structure, not a properly designed Beaver Dam Analogue. While BDAs are low-tech solutions, they require technical expertise and proper design to function effectively and safely. For detailed technical specifications and design guidelines, refer to the Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Design Manual.
Implementation varies by location. Some areas see immediate benefits:
When beavers create conflicts near infrastructure, we employ non-lethal strategies—strategic relocation to areas where their engineering provides maximum ecosystem benefit. It's about finding the right place for their work.
The next phase focuses on scaling impact while refining precision:
Seasonal imagery and expanded training datasets for improved accuracy
Infrastructure conflict prevention dashboards
Decision support directly in Google Earth Engine
Mobile applications with offline capability
Quantifying sequestration in beaver wetlands
Integration with community-based monitoring
This project demonstrates that innovative forest management doesn't always require high-tech solutions—sometimes it means partnering with nature's original engineers while using AI to scale those partnerships effectively.
By embracing both cutting-edge technology and time-tested natural processes, we're learning that the path forward might just follow the trails blazed by flat-tailed engineers who've been managing watersheds for millennia.
Learn how AI-powered beaver detection can revolutionize your forest hydrology projects.
Get Started Today