Just HOW Much Land Do Michigan’s Largest Landowners Control?

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 just who exactly owns it all?

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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 largest private landowners?

Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLC

Although ownership has changed hands several times, from Plum Creek Timber Company to Weyerhauser, Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLC announced it was set to purchase 550,000 acres of land in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for $300 million in cash back 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" is only 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

And don't even get me started on foreign 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.