Martinsburg Journal – In its recently released report titled “Who Owns West Virginia?”, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy shows that in parts of the state, especially in the southern part, private lands are held by very few landowners and most are out-of-state companies. Read
For instance, more than 51 percent of the private land in Wyoming County is owned by two companies: Heartwood Forestland Fund, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Norfolk Southern, of Norfolk, Va., according to the report.
In six counties, five of which are in the southern part of the state, the top 10 landowners hold at least 50 percent of the land, according to the report.
Also according to the report, not one of the state’s top 10 private landowners is headquartered in West Virginia.
