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Glossary

Taking
  1. A taking occurs when the governent seizes title or takes physical possession to land under the powers of eminent domain, and requires compensation to the landowner. [Source: Elizabeth Byers and Karin Marchetti Ponti, The Conservation Easement Handbook, Published by the Trust for Public Land and the Land Trust Alliance, 2005.]
Term Easement
  1. A conservation easement that is intended to terminate automatically after a specified period of years. A term easement does not qualify for income or estate tax benefits. [Source: Elizabeth Byers and Karin Marchetti Ponti, The Conservation Easement Handbook, Published by the Trust for Public Land and the Land Trust Alliance, 2005.]
Third Party with Rights of Enforcement
  1. An entity that is granted rights to enforce an easement and is qualified to hold the conservation easement, but is not a holder. [Source: Elizabeth Byers and Karin Marchetti Ponti, The Conservation Easement Handbook, Published by the Trust for Public Land and the Land Trust Alliance, 2005.]
Title
  1. The legal document that proves ownership interest in a piece of land. A title is transferred from one person to another by the use of a deed. [source: Glossary of Conservation Terms, Ridge and Valley Conservancy, Inc., http://www.rvclandtrust.org]
Title Insurance
  1. The insurance that protects landowners and easement holders against loss from defective or unmarketable title. Title insurance provides financial compensation if ownership is lost and defends the insured’s title against adverse claims (subject to listed exceptions). [Source: West Virginia LandTrust, Frequently Used Terms: http://www.wvlandtrust.org]
Title Report
  1. A report prepared by a title company or attorney – after a title search – that contains documentation of the quality of ownership held by a particular person or entity. It identifies any encumbrances on the property and any partial ownership interests. [Source: West Virginia LandTrust, Frequently Used Terms: http://www.wvlandtrust.org]
Tracks
  1. points (or trackpoints) automatically recorded by the GPS device periodically along the recorded route.
Traditional Neighborhood Development
  1. A comprehensive planning system that includes a variety of housing types and land uses in a defined area. The variety of uses permits educational facilities, civic buildings and commercial establishments to be located within walking distance of private homes. Traditional Neighborhood Developments are served by a network of paths, streets and lanes suitable for pedestrians as well as vehicles. This provides residents the option of walking, biking or driving to places within their neighborhood. Present and future modes of transit are also considered during the planning stages. Public and private spaces have equal importance, creating a balanced community that serves a wide range of home and business owners. The inclusion of civic buildings and civic space -- in the form of plazas, greens, parks and squares -- enhances community identity and value. [Source: The Town Newspaper, What is a TND?: http://www.tndtownpaper.com/neighborhoods.htm]
Trail Easement
  1. Provides specific language for developing a right of way agreement for public access of a linear tract of land for recreational purposes [source: Pennsylvania Land Choices, An Educational Guide, Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources in partnership with Pennsylvania Land Trust Association]
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
  1. TDR programs allow landowners to sever the building (aka development) rights from a particular piece of property and sell them. Purchasers are usually other landowners who want to increase the density of their developments. Local governments may also buy development rights in order to control price, design details or restrict growth. TDR programs strive for two main goals. First, communities can use TDR programs to preserve open space, agriculture, historic buildings or housing. And TDR programs make such preservation more equitable and politically palatable by compensating landowners who lose the right to develop their property. [Source: Jason Hanly-Forde, George Homsy, Katherine Lieberknecht & Remington Stone, Transfer of Development Rights Programs Using the Market for Compensation and Preservation: http://government.cce.cornell.edu/doc/html/Transfer%20of%20Development%20Rights%20Programs.htm#Definition]
Treadway (or Tread)
  1. The surface portion of a trail upon which users travel, excluding backslope, ditch, and shoulder. Tread surfaces can consist of native soil material, aggregate, asphalt, concrete, recycled materials and native materials that are modified with soil stabilizers. [source: Universal Access Trails and Shared Use Paths: Design, Management, Ethical, and Legal Considerations (Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, 2014)]
  2. Tread is the actual travel surface of the trail. This is where the rubber (or hoof) meets the trail. [source: "Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook," Recreation Trails Program, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation]
Triangulation
  1. The process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly. The point can then be fixed as the third point of a triangle with one known side and two known angles.