Land managers throughout the Puget Sound region are investing large sums of money and other resources to improve salmon habitat in our streams and rivers. In the last 15 years, King County ecologists and land managers have seen a pattern of beavers colonizing these restoration sites anywhere from immediately to within 2 to 5 years of finishing a restoration project. Frequently, the beavers extensively browse newly planted vegetation. They have also built dams at some sites that flooded adjacent properties. Beaver colonization is now expected following construction of restoration projects along streams and rivers in King County, where restoration sites are usually also close to roads, culverts, farms, orchards, lawns, and houses. This Planning for Beavers Manual represents a proactive approach to restoration planning, as it assumes beavers will colonize restoration sites and incorporates the possible effects of their activity into each step of project planning and design. Planning for beavers with the help of this Manual is intended to increase project success, help foster and maintain good relations with neighbors, reduce uncertainty associated with beaver activity, promote watershed ecology, and help project, program, and site managers better budget and plan for operations, maintenance, and monitoring.