> I think the main reason people get nervous about "the public" roaming their land is the liability and the personal injury lawsuit industry in the USA. If I let someone cross my land and he trips on a tree root and breaks his leg, now I'm possibly facing a lawsuit.
I rather got the impression that it was rich people wanting privacy.
As for lawsuits… I'm not sure how effective they are, but here in Berlin half the woods say "Privatgelände / Benutzung auf eigene Gefahr!" which means what you might guess without a translation.
It's entirely possible that the reason this type of lawsuit is still a real thing is because of rich people recognizing that it also gets them extra privacy. (At least in part.)
I rather got the impression that it was rich people wanting privacy.
As for lawsuits… I'm not sure how effective they are, but here in Berlin half the woods say "Privatgelände / Benutzung auf eigene Gefahr!" which means what you might guess without a translation.