A Study on the Willingness of Mountain Owners to Use Forest Pension-Type Private Forest Purchase Program

The Forest Pension-Type Private Forest Purchase Program was introduced to stabilize income for forest landowners in an aging society and to promote efficient forest management. The program allows landowners to sell their privately owned forest land to the Korea Forest Service and receive the purchase price in the form of a pension over a ten-year period. Recent policy revisions have expanded the program to include management forests, added conditions such as reflecting interest and land price appreciation, and increased the limit on advance payments. Despite these adjustments, participation rates remain below expectations. This study aims to analyze forest landowners’ intentions to participate in the program and to identify the determinants that shape such intentions. The research targets general forest landowners, and statistical analysis was conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multinomial logit models. The results of the study are as follows. First, private forest owners were found to be predominantly elderly, highly educated, medium-to-large asset holders with relatively low levels of debt, perceiving forests not as a means of livelihood but rather as assets for management and investment. Second, willingness to participate in the scheme was higher among women, younger and older age groups, low- or no-debt owners, and corporate or group owners, while it was lower among middle-aged individuals, those with lower educational attainment, high-debt holders, long-term owners, and actively managing forest owners. Age, education, income, and assets were confirmed as major influencing factors, whereas debt acted as a constraint. Third, the amount of annuity payment and stability were identified as key considerations in choosing the scheme, while procedural complexity and lack of publicity emerged as primary reasons for non-participation. Fourth, the multinomial logit analysis showed that while higher forest land prices reduced the willingness to participate, higher acquisition prices, larger asset size, longer holding periods, and policy awareness increased the likelihood of participation. Therefore, future policy directions should focus on strengthening publicity efforts, providing tailored support for middle-aged and high-debt owners, expanding youth participation, enhancing economic incentives, simplifying procedures, and incorporating family and inheritance-related factors to broaden the acceptance and participation base of the scheme. In addition, based on the research findings, policymakers can enhance participation rates and institutional satisfaction by improving information accessibility, strengthening trust in the scheme, and expanding economic incentives.