Data from: General patterns of beavers' selective foraging: How to evaluate the effects of a re-emerging driver of vegetation change along Central European small watercourses

This Excel table contains information about the woody plant supply and its utilization by the Eurasian beaver at 11 study sites along small watercourses located in Hungary. The following data are provided about each woody plant unit (trunk or branch): taxon group, genus, diameter class, and type of utilization. Two taxon groups were differentiated: softwood species (<em>Salix</em> and <em>Populus</em> spp.) and other species. The units were categorized into six diameter classes (d1-d6). Thin branches with a diameter of 0.8–4.9 cm were classified into the first one (d1), and five more diameter classes (d2–d6) were defined using Jenks natural breaks method: d2 – 5–9 cm, d3 – 10–18 cm, d4 – 19–32 cm, d5 – 33–54 cm, d6 – 55–146 cm. Three types of utilization were defined: <em>cutting</em>, <em>carving</em>, and <em>debarking</em>. We refer to trunks and branches not utilized by beavers as intact units. We also distinguished between fresh and old signs of utilization. In addition, a fresh dataset was defined, which consists of intact units, units with fresh signs of utilization, and formerly beaver-harmed but living trees.