Forestry England project lead Hayley Dauben said beavers were wanted on rivers because of the “habitats they create”.
She said their dams could help regulate water flows, help release water during droughts and help keep the water clean.
“So lots of good benefits and habitats that we don’t see as much as we used to in our environments,” Dauben said.
She added Forestry England had ways to protect individual trees from the beavers if they were of particular concern or importance.
Forestry England said the goal was to submit the application by late 2026 and Natural England could take up to four months to assess it.
In the meantime, the project has asked landowners and stakeholders to get in touch to help shape it, as it wanted to identify 20 possible release sites.