I'll be very interested in what people say. I've never heard of anything that will protect trees if the beaver is still around and determined to make a dam. How far has the flat-tailed water rat gotten in its efforts? If he gets the dam built and the area floods, won't most of the vegetation, trees and all, die? Holding my breath until the experts weigh in ....

I'm no expert, but I have serious doubts about chicken wire posing much of a deterrent effect on a beaver, unless you put multiple wraps around the tree.
Some get pretty large - I've skinned out some 60-pounders, back when my dad was trapping - and this was down in in south AL - I'll bet they get even bigger up north. I've seen bark removal easily 3+ ft up the trunk of some pretty big trees.

Chicken wire is pretty flimsy. Have you tried the rolls of wire farm fencing? They are inexpensive, slightly more than the chicken wire but the gauge of the wire is thicker. I make a puppy play pen out of it that has no support on one whole side and grown dogs jumping on it does not phase it.
And I would be surprised if it didn't look nicer too. The wires are farther apart so it may be less noticeable.

Digging in the back of the memory...

I have been to zoos that have kept beavers. They have also tried to keep *some* trees around in the beaver enclosures. I think they were encased in something like flashing, but it may have been heavier.

I'd use hardware cloth, doubled, and secured with heavy ga. galv wire to three T-posts.

Dan

I've been using welded wire fencing for deep protection. Guess I will stick with that for the beavers. There's no chance they would be able to chew through that stuff. I use 4' high fencing for the deer. If I cut it in half and use pieces just short of 2' (I'll loose a little when cutting through the middle), do you all think that will be tall enough? Most of the trunks they've chewed through so far are chewed at about 6" to 1' from the ground.

Yes, standard beaver deterrent in these parts for reveg is ~4' (50").

Dan