Did you know Michigan is the 11th largest state in the nation?
Coming in at nearly 61 million acres, that's a lot of ground to cover! Sure we've got plenty of forests and farmland, but have you ever stopped to wonder justwho exactly owns it all?
Well, I have.
And I've found the answer too! If you guessed "the government" you wouldn't be wrong, but you wouldn't exactly be right either. While combined the State of Michigan and the Federal Government own nearly a quarter of all the land in the state, what about the largestprivatelandowners?
Michigan Land
Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLC
Although ownership has changed hands several times, fromPlum Creek Timber Company toWeyerhauser, Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLCannounced it was set to purchase 550,000 acres of land in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for $300 million in cashback in 2019.
In addition to their land in Michigan, Lyme Timber also owns close to 800,000 acres of forest in states ranging from New York to West Virginia to Alabama. And "Lyme" isonly the tip of the iceberg!
Check out some of the other private landowners in Michigan, per A-Z Animals:
- GMO Renewable Resources- 440,000 acres
- The Forestland Group - 390,000 acres
- The Nature Conservancy - 6,275 acres
- Ricky Shapiro - 2,000 acres
Anddon'teven get me started onforeign ownership of Michigan's farmland!
According to Michigan State University when it comes to Michigan agriculture and farmland,
The Netherlands is the largest owner in Michigan at 458,436 acres followed by Canada at 359,679 acres. These two countries account for 59.7 percent of all foreign ownership.
Does that freak you out or what? Read more about Michigan's foreign land ownership here.
Eight Michigan Billionaires
Half of the 8 most wealthy Michiganders are from West Michigan.
