Indeed, while the big picture remains the same in the state, there are several noteworthy changes. The 2013 study found that timber management interests have become powerful players. The largest private land owner in West Virginia is currently Heartwood Forestland Fund, which controls over 500,000 (mostly surface) acres of land (ibid.). The third largest owner, pending approval of a merger, is Plum Creek Timberland, with well over 200,000 acres. Moreover, some counties that had high concentrations of land ownership in the earlier two studies now have lower concentrations, namely Barbour, Harrison, Lincoln, Mineral, and Putnam (ibid.). TABLE 3. LARGEST LAND OWNERS, LARGEST ENERGY-INTERESTED LAND OWNERS, AND THEIR SHARE OF PRIVATE LAND OWNERSHIP FOR THE WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES WITH SURFACE MINING PRODUCTION EXCEEDING 1,000,000 TONS County Largest Land Largest Largest Energy Type Largest Owner Land of the Owner’s Largest Share of Land Owner Land Private Owner’s Land Land Owner Share of Private Land Boone Natural 11.4% Natural Coal 11.4% Resource Resource Partners Partners
Indeed, while the big picture remains the same in the state, there are several noteworthy changes. The 2013 study found that timber management interests have become powerful players. The largest private land owner in West Virginia is currently Heartwood Forestland Fund, which controls over 500,000 (mostly surface) acres of land (ibid.). The third largest owner, pending approval of a merger, is Plum Creek Timberland, with well over 200,000 acres. Moreover, some counties that had high concentrations of land ownership in the earlier two studies now have lower concentrations, namely Barbour, Harrison, Lincoln, Mineral, and Putnam (ibid.). TABLE 3. LARGEST LAND OWNERS, LARGEST ENERGY-INTERESTED LAND OWNERS, AND THEIR SHARE OF PRIVATE LAND OWNERSHIP FOR THE WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES WITH SURFACE MINING PRODUCTION EXCEEDING 1,000,000 TONS County Largest Land Owner Largest Land Owner’s Share of Private Land Largest Land Owner Energy Type of the Largest Land Owner Largest Land Owner’s Share of Private Land Boone Natural Resource Partners 11.4% Natural Resource Partners Coal 11.4%
WPSAPaperSpring2015.docx