Abstract
SUMMARY (1) Natural succession and man-induced changes in open freshwater wetlands were measured over a 20-yr period using panchromatic aerial photographs. Over the period 1951-71 nearly one-half of 3958-9 ha of these wetlands showed a change in vegetation class. (2) Change in wetland vegetation class due to natural succession exceeded all man-induced changes. Agriculture, cranberry culture and highway construction were the leading man-induced causes of wetland change. (3) Current public policy in the United States towards wetland protection and management treats wetlands as static entities. A partial model of wetland change is presented to suggest that wetlands should be managed as dynamic elements on the landscape.
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