Montana's largest landowners control an increasing percentage of the state's private land

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Montana’s largest landowners control an increasing percentage of the state’s private land

Amanda Eggert Montana Free Press 10 hrs ago


The Flying D Ranch is a sprawling conservation-oriented ranch, photographed here in March of 2023. Now-retired cable television titan Ted Turner owns the property, which spans nearly 114,000 acres in south-central Montana.
Tina DeWeese/Montana Free Press

A select number of landowners control a growing percentage of Montana’s private land, according to a study recently published by the journal Environmental Management. ... Lead study author Alexander Metcalf told Montana Free Press in a recent conversation that approximately 4,000 landowners in the state control two-thirds of its private land. Metcalf, a social scientist with a keen interest in natural resource management, said consolidated land ownership can give a single property owner the ability to improve or degrade wildlife habitat in “one fell swoop.”

Metcalf’s research also has implications for open space and recreational access initiatives in a state that prides itself on its expansive vistas and outdoor heritage. ... Working alongside another University of Montana researcher and a University of St. Thomas data scientist, Metcalf used a state-run database to analyze 20 years of property ownership records, ending in 2023. The research team then used AI to sort the records by parcel size and ownership type.

Late last month, Environmental Management published the researchers’ findings, which are based on an analysis of the approximately 370,000 distinct individuals and entities with landholdings in Montana. The state database that houses that information is called Montana Cadastral.

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