Massachusetts Cranberry Farm Transforms into Wetland After Over a Century of Operation
Century Bog, a 75-acre former cranberry farm spanning Plymouth and Wareham, Massachusetts, is undergoing a significant ecological restoration to revert to its natural wetland state. The project involves extensive construction work, including excavating soil, removing pine trees, and breaking up buried plastic piping to eliminate farm infrastructure. The goal is to uncompact the soil, allowing it to retain more water and function as a natural wetland. This initiative is part of a broader trend in Massachusetts where a growing number of cranberry farmers are retiring their bogs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a 40% increase in retired bogs between 2017 and 2022, with projections indicating that 20% of the state's remaining bogs are likely to retire within the next decade. The land for Century Bog was sold to the state in 2010 by its last owner, the A.D. Makepeace Company, and subsequently protected as part of the Red Brook Wildlife Management Area.
