Using the tripartite model of place attachment to understand bequest intentions among family forest landowners in Georgia, United States

Family forest landowners own 54% of forestland in Georgia. However, most forest landowners are older than 65 years, and it is unclear what will happen to these forests when they can no longer care for their land. We apply the tripartite model of place attachment to assess the roles of person, place, and process dimensions concerning forest landowners' future bequest intentions. Using data from 1,143 family forest landowners in Georgia, we find that the person dimension is the strongest predictor for wanting to keep the forestland in the family. Being involved in the process of forestland management is also a significant but weaker predictor, while the role of the place itself seems less important. Place attachment dimensions are more robust predictors for bequest intentions than any other control variable. These findings shed new light on bequest intentions and could inform future developments of family forest landownership.