KarunaNews Story

Massachusetts is home to 13,000 acres of cranberry bogs, making it the second-largest cranberry-producing region in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world. The bright, red berries contribute over $1.7 billion to the state's economy annually. But a good chunk of that acreage is taken up by defunct cranberry bogs that have been rotated out of cultivation. Fortunately, a new program by the state’s Division of Ecological Restoration is on a mission to convert them back into natural wetlands. In November 2024, the DER funneled $6 million in grants to the restoration plan. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, more than 500 acres of retired cranberry bogs have already been converted into wetlands — with hopes of restoring 1,000 acres in the next decade. “These projects will transform degraded former cranberry bogs into thriving wetlands that will provide habitat to important species, flood control in time of storms, and access for all to beautiful natural areas,” Governor Maura Healey said in a statement. And, there’s another huge environmental benefit: wetlands capture large quantities of carbon dioxide in their soil.