In Massachusetts, cranberry growers are participating in a state program that restores unproductive bogs into wetlands. The initiative, managed by the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, pays farmers to transition land that is no longer viable for production.
Jarrod Rhodes, a fourth-generation grower in Carver, is part of the program. A 30-acre project on his farm is nearly complete, with native plants expected to return as the wetland re-establishes. "In 10 years, I hope it looks like a natural swamp," Rhodes said.
The program has restored more than 500 acres over the past 15 years, with another 500 acres planned. Massachusetts has around 13,250 acres of cranberry farms, making it the second-largest cranberry-producing state in the U.S. after Wisconsin, according to USDA data.
The state allocates about US$1 million annually to the program, supplemented by local and federal funding. Farmers keep ownership of the land, but restored sites are often open to the public for recreation and wildlife. An earlier example is the Eel River headwaters in Plymouth, where 60 acres of former bogs were restored in 2010 and are now functioning wetlands.
Karen Cahill of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association said the program offers farmers a way to manage land as many near retirement. "They want to make sure that the land that they've tended to for so long is like, in good hands, whether that be a restoration program, or passing it on to the next generation," she explained.
Beth Lambert, who oversees the restoration program, noted that many bogs were originally built on wetlands. "What we're doing is, we're restoring those underlying drivers of water, the soil, and then we let Mother Nature take it from there," she said.
On the Rhodes farm, streams now run through former production areas. "It's cool to see it kind of all bare," Rhodes said. "Just kind of waiting for it to grow back and see if it actually works the way that it was supposed to."
Source: CBS News