Mega Landownership: 4 Giants, 10.5M Acres in Minnesota
Read More: Who Owns The Most Land In South Dakota? Story Source: World Population Review Story Source: Stacker Website [carbongallery id="62b1e16becd83213cb8ac9e2"]
">recent study, around 75 percent of the land in Minnesota is privately owned.
Of course, the Federal Government owns places like the Superior National Forest and Voyagers National Park. Still, the majority of land in The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes is owned by private businesses and individuals.
But, the question is, who owns the most land in the entire state of Minnesota? The answer may surprise you.
The Four Largest Landowners in all of Minnesota
The four biggest landowners in the North Star State own a combined 10.5 Million Acres. To put that into perspective, that's an area larger than the countries of the Netherlands, Estonia, and Taiwan. According to A-Z Animals, these are the four largest landowners in Minnesota:
4) Molpus Woodlands Group
At a whopping 286,000 acres, the Molpus Woodlands Group owns, by far, the most amount of private land in the state.
Just what is the Molpus Woodlands Group? According to its website, here's what its Chairman, Dick Molpus group has to say:
This is our 116th year in the timber business. My grandfather, Richard Hezekiah Molpus, launched us in 1905. As you can imagine, we’ve learned a few lessons along the way. Foremost is to be appreciative of those customers who place their belief in us. We view that confidence as a sacred trust.
-Dick Molpus
3) Tribal Lands
According to A-Z Animals, Minnesota has around 700,000 acres of tribal land. This mainly belongs to two tribes in particular: The Anishinaabe, and the Chippewa.
2) U.S. Federal Government
The Federal Government accounts for around 3.8 million acres of land in Minnesota. This includes the Superior and Chippewa National Forests.
1) The State of Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources controls around 5.6 million acres of land in Minnesota. This includes state parks, wetlands, school trust lands, and agricultural tracts.
Read More: Who Owns The Most Land In South Dakota?
Story Source: World Population Review, Stacker Website, Molpus Woodlands Group, A to Z Animals Website, Statistics Times Website