Heritage-Tree Conservation Support in Chinese Heritage Landscapes: Associations with Ecological Value Perception, Cultural Ecosystem Services, and Place Attachment

Heritage trees connect ecological functions with cultural meanings, but conservation research often treats these evaluations and people’s emotional relationships with heritage settings separately. This study develops an integrated appraisal model that distinguishes ecological value perception, cultural ecosystem service perception, place attachment, and sustainable conservation support. A cross-sectional survey of 500 adults in China with direct or mediated heritage-site familiarity was analyzed using latent-variable structural equation modeling. Heritage trees were understood broadly as older, large, notable, and traditional courtyard trees with ecological or cultural significance. Ecological recognition was positively associated with cultural-service appraisal, which in turn was associated with tree-related attachment appraisal and stated conservation support. Ecological and cultural appraisals also retained direct associations with support, indicating that attachment was not the sole link between perceived value and conservation endorsement. The positive path pattern persisted after excluding patterned responses and among respondents reporting direct visits. The study refines attachment-centered accounts by distinguishing cultural meaning appraisal from emotional connection and by specifying complementary routes to support. These findings inform the evaluation of heritage interpretation and participatory management that connect ecological protection with cultural continuity.