Michigan’s forests protect our drinking water, support wildlife, sustain local economies, and define life in the Upper Peninsula. Yet nearly 1.9 million acres of Michigan agricultural land—most of it forestland—is now owned by foreign entities, and that footprint continues to grow.

These land sales may be legal, but legality alone does not guarantee protection for Michigan’s environment. Forestland ownership shapes what happens to our trees, our soil, and our water for generations. When land changes hands at this scale—often through layered LLCs that obscure who truly controls it—Michiganders are left with unanswered questions about logging intensity, mining approvals, pollution risks, and public access.

Residents are especially concerned about forestland near Lake Superior and other sensitive waters, where clear-cutting, mining activity, road building, or industrial development could permanently damage ecosystems that cannot be replaced. Once forests are fragmented or waterways polluted, there is no easy path back.

This is about protecting Michigan’s land, water, and public trust, regardless of who owns the deed. Environmental safeguards should not weaken when ownership changes. Public oversight should increase—not disappear—when land is controlled by large investment funds with distant decision-makers.

We call on the Michigan Senate, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to act now by strengthening environmental protections for large forestland holdings, increasing transparency around land ownership, and ensuring that mining, logging, and development decisions prioritize long-term ecological health over short-term profit.

Michigan’s forests clean our air, store carbon, protect fresh water, and anchor rural communities. They should not become collateral in global investment strategies that leave locals bearing the environmental risk.

Protect the forests. Protect the water. Protect Michigan—for the people who live here now and for those who come after us.