Members,

The past few years we have taken many beavers out of the lake and recently have taken 3 more.  The trees around the lake have been greatly impacted, from the young saplings to the larger hemlocks.  Once a beaver starts to chew on a tree it is forever damaged and the life of the tree diminishes.  As of now we should be beaver free, but in case you would like to protect your trees on your property here are a few methods that would help.

Wire mesh -
https://www.nature.scot/doc/protecting-trees-beavers-using-wire-mesh

Painting-. Abrasive tree paint is mixed and applied as follows:

Ingredients

• Paint: Exterior Latex (choose a color to match the bark)
• Mason Sand: 30 mil-70 mil

Formula:

• Mix 5 oz sand per quart of paint, or
• Mix 20 oz sand per gallon of paint

Procedure: Make in small batches at a time on the day you are going to apply it. Using too much sand will cause the mixture to roll off the tree. Apply paint to bottom three to four feet of tree trunk (2 feet above snow). You do not need to reapply for several years. 

This formula may not work for saplings. A longer-term solution is to encircle your trees with sturdy wire fencing.