Wetland Habitats

Wetlands play a critical role in promoting climate resiliency, supporting biodiversity, and providing critical ecosystem services such as water quality control, flood mitigation, and habitat. Wetland soils sequester eight times more carbon than upland soils. The loss of ecosystem services provided by wetlands would be costly, and some of these services are irreplaceable, so it is imperative that wetland ecosystems are protected. At the Randall Farm, there are distinctive wetland habitats that provide important biodiversity value. These include freshwater marshes, rich forested swamps and wet meadows.

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Freshwater marshes generally occur around slowly draining areas, basins, and other water bodies. The open-air freshwater marsh-lands found on Randall Farm are cattail-dominant. Other marsh-lands are embedded within forest, and include vegetation such as grasses, ferns, and other perennials.

Regionally, wet meadow habitat declined in recent decades, due to trends of reforestation, agriculture, and development. In prime settings, this habitat supports diverse plant communities including a variety of water-loving grasses, sedges, rushes, and wetland wildflowers (EPA). Areas that could be wet meadow on site are currently pastured or mowed. Wet meadows can provide habitat for pollinators that benefit agricultural productivity, while also removing pollutants from surficial runoff. Rich Forested Swamps typically occur at low to mid elevations in slowly draining depressions or at the margins of stream valley bottoms, where higher pH and/or nutrient levels are associated with rich flora (Conservation Gateway). On site, this habitat occurs in both isolated patches and embedded in larger mesic forest surrounding streams. Skunk cabbage, red maples, and speckled alder are a few of the common native species observed within this habitat on site.

Acer rubrum trilobum, a Facultative Wetland variety of Red Maple, is abundant in Randall Farm’s forested swamps.

Open Water (Ponds & Streams) Freshwater Marshes Wet Meadow Shrub Marsh Rich Forested Swamp Moist- Mesic Forest

A Range of Wetland Habitats This section illustrates the range of wetland habitats found on Randall Farm; this does not represent their spatial distribution on site. This sketch was adapted from New England Wetland Plant’s original drawing (newp.com).

Wet Areas Beyond Mapped Wetlands

On the Randall Farm, pooling, wetland soils, and wetland vegetation can be found outside of the mapped wetlands. These areas indicate long term moisture/water, and should be delineated by a soil scientist if construction or other use is being considered in that area.

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Cattails, a wetland plant, growing in a corn field.