Excerpts: Private landownership is a cornerstone of the American society, yet we know very little about who owns the land. As competition for land increases, as conflicts among land uses arise, and as more people and institutions are involved in land decisionmaking, it becomes more vital than ever to know who will make decisions about land and who will bear the burden or reap the benefits of those decisions. There are simultaneously more people, more ways to use land, and more public bodies (county governments, planning boards, citizens groups) associated with decisions about land use. Current issues over environmental quality, land use planning, food production capacity, and foreign ownership of U.S. land literally demand that we know more about who owns land, about the factors that determine landowners' decisions, and about the way these decisions affect society.