Exclusively herbivorous, beavers feed on a variety of plants, grasses, forbs, and even agricultural crops. But it is their taste for tree bark that has drawn them the most attention, and in some cases, ire, over the years. Beavers utilize many species of trees, but young willows and cottonwoods are among the most preferred in Kansas. Felling trees allows beavers access to the smaller, more nutritious branches in the canopy, and provides materials for dam, food cache, and lodge construction.