Data shows that foreigners own about 1.7% of all land in the U.S. By state, some of the largest landowners include The Emmerson Family, who control approximately 2.3 million acres of land across Washington State, California, and Oregon. Archie Aldis Emmerson and his family established Sierra Pacific Industries in 1949 and are the largest private lumber production firm in the nation, with 14 sawmills spanning Washington and California.
The history of land ownership and vital land parcels in the United States is rather fascinating. Parcel data, used to store ownership information about a piece of land, traces its roots back to the Roman empire. However, much of the system hasn't changed even in the modern era.
Let's look into the history of vital land parcels and parcel data, what environmental land purchases are, and how you can invest in land for a cause.
What is Land Parcel Data?
Access to and acquisition of land is one of the most significant drivers of American history. Land was a vital medium in treaties, wars, settlement, and immigration. During the formation of American history, the term land parcel was rarely used. Instead, the most common term was land parcel data.
Also known as property data or, in technical terms, cadastral data, this data includes ownership information, the exact coordinates of a parcel of land, land use, zoning, and value, among other vital information.
Land parcel data stores crucial information that can be used in society's legal, financial, and real estate systems. Governments use this data to make business activities, land development, emergency response, regulatory compliance, and law enforcement decisions.
The History of Parcel Data
The history of parcel data can be traced back to the Roman empire. Since the rise of civilization, land ownership has influenced political powers. As empires grew, there was an increased need for accurate information showing "who owns what."
Roman emperors used this information in the form of maps to track publicly-owned land that was under private use. That way, they'd determine who to tax and by how much.
After the Roman empire fell, the use of precise cadastral maps faded away until the Renaissance era, when it was revived.
In the sixteenth century, cadastral maps began resurfacing in the Netherlands. They were used as a means of cataloging land drainage to help in the manufacturing of new land in coastal villages. Like the Roman empire, these maps soon became the basis for taxation.
The emergence of capitalism in Renaissance Europe snowballed the need for parcel data. This data played a crucial role in the rise of modern Europe, with most governments using it to determine and maintain control over parcels of land as a means of production.
European archives currently store hundreds of thousands of surviving cadastral maps. Each map has a unique mapping style that conveys land ownership, boundaries, and details about a particular location.
Not a lot has changed in the United States' land purchases regarding cadastral maps. There are over 3200 counties in the U.S., but none have a standard way of collecting, disseminating, and reporting parcel data information.
The current system used in the U.S. was introduced in 1785 as the Public Lands Survey System (PLSS). It used a rectangular grid to record a township in relation to a baseline, which was a parallel line running from east to west and the principal meridian.
The first territory surveyed by this system was Modern-day Ohio.
Surveyors filed land entries in this system in relation to the township the land belonged to. The General Land Office, later renamed the Bureau of Land Management in 1946, was responsible for selling federal land.
The Use of Parcel Data in The Modern Era
Parcel data still influences government decisions such as business regulation, law enforcement, emergency response, and taxes. Organizing this information well is crucial to better understanding geographical patterns and improving development in urban areas.
In 1980, the National Research Council posted a report titled "Need for a Multipurpose Cadastre" that emphasized the need for a nationally integrated set of parcel data to make it easier to retrieve information and connect findings from other sources.
The U.S. is yet to implement the vision of the report. Currently, only about a third of U.S. counties publish digital parcel data. Therefore, private organizations have undertaken the task of making parcel data easily accessible and modernizing the information.
What Are Environmental Land Purchases?
Traditionally, land is purchased as a long-term investment that will yield returns a few years later. However, with increased environmental awareness, a new trend is making environmental land purchases.
An environmental land purchase takes several forms, such as buying land to conserve threatened habitats. Few organizations are using this approach toward conservation. Thankfully, an increasing number of commercial companies are also taking this route. You may also have to work with local partner organizations to manage the land.
Environmental purchases may be directed to specific environmental causes, such as saving rainforests or creating protected reserves in areas under imminent threat of environmental destruction.
Environmental land purchases signify a more proactive and direct approach to conservation than lobbying governments and local bodies to protect endangered reserves.
Invest in Land for a Cause
Land ownership has significantly evolved ever since its formative years in the Roman empire. Despite a lack of modernization of parcel data, this information is still crucial in enabling critical government decisions and promoting environmental land purchases.
If you're passionate about the environment and want to purchase or sell land for conservation purposes, talk to us at Fynn Partners.
Comments