Did you know beavers can cut down small trees in just minutes, and a single beaver can take down hundreds of trees a year? And did you know there are beavers making homes in Loch Lomond? Protect your trees and the entire Loch Lomond shoreline by learning about beavers and how to discourage them from hanging out on your property.

Recognizing beaver activity

It’s first important to recognize the signs that a beaver might be present near your property. You might notice:

• Beaver dams
• Slides/pathways
• Beaver lodges
• Collapsed bank dens
• Cut-down or girdled trees
• Flooding

Discouraging beavers

If you notice the signs of beaver habitation on your property, consider these tips for making your yard less inviting to them:

Clean up your shoreline – Beavers are attracted to areas with plenty of food and building materials. Eliminating woody vegetation within approximately 100 feet of the water can help prevent beavers. Remove dead or dying trees, fallen branches, submerged timber, etc., and review Village ordinances regarding yard upkeep.

Destroy dams and lodges – If you notice a beaver dam or lodge on your shoreline, destroying it will encourage the beaver to move on. Beavers can replace materials quickly, so you might need to do this daily until the beaver permanently relocates. When destroying their work, be sure to remove and destroy all materials so the beaver cannot reuse them.

Guard your tree trunks – Use galvanized wire or window screen mesh wrapped around your trees to provide DIY protection. Guards should be at least three feet high. Fasten them well to prevent beavers from chewing them apart.

Install fencing – Use wire mesh fencing at least three feet high to protect several trees at once. This would be especially helpful if you are hoping to protect many trees close together.

Removing beavers

Trapping is the best way to remove beavers from your property. If you notice signs of beavers on your property, we advise you hire someone to set traps on your property. The situation has grown, and, unfortunately, the LLPOA can no longer set traps for every beaver sighting. If you think there is a beaver on your property, you can still let us know, and we can help you identify a trapper.

The LLPOA works with the park district to help control beavers in the lake and in our common areas, but, as would be the case for any other wildlife in your house or on your property, the LLPOA is not responsible for beavers in your yard or any damage they cause. It will take efforts from everyone on the shoreline to keep them off Loch Lomond properties. Thank you for doing your part!