THE BELL || In addition to its cattle and horse operations, John Malone’s Bell Ranch acts as a giant carbon capture.

To the nation’s largest landowner, one of the most valuable attributes of his timberland and ranchland holdings is the benefits to society of good stewardship. In Maine, for instance, Malone’s million-plus acre BBC LAND holdings use photosynthesis to absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping greenhouse gas found in fossil fuel emissions. (Keep in mind that the US Forest Service estimates that our nation’s forests offset between 10 and 20 percent of the country’s annual carbon emissions.) Although the means are different out West on Malone’s SILVER SPUR RANCHES, the end is equally laudable. At New Mexico’s BELL RANCH, sustainable grazing practices ensure the health and balance of native grasses and prairie while keeping carbon sequestered in undisturbed soils. Only horses’ hooves and cow tracks impact grasslands and soils, storing carbon, reducing erosion, and ensuring food security.

Click here to see the 2019 Class of America’s largest landowners.