1 • Plum Creek Timber

[Photo: Jon M. Fletcher]

Publicly held timber real estate investment trust (NYSE-PCL)
Florida acres: 590,000
Headquarters: Seattle

In addition to being the largest private landowner in Gainesville, in Alachua, Baker, Flagler, Levy and Union counties and in Florida, Plum Creek is the largest non-government landowner in the United States, with 6.8 million acres in 19 states. The company earned $1.2 billion in revenue last year, with $569 million from timber, $336 million from real estate sales and the remainder from manufacturing wood products and other activities.

Plum Creek manages about 90% of its Florida holdings for timber production, primarily slash and loblolly pine. "We view this region as a very productive part of the country to do business," says Jon Rashleigh, Plum Creek's head of forestry for the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina operations.

Plum Creek accounts for most of the conservation easements in Florida, with more than 90,000 acres in easements statewide. Its land-development plans include an inland port in Lake City, a community development north of Gainesville and a master planning process for 70,000 acres in eastern Alachua County.