Emotional links to forest ownership. Restitution of land and use of a productive resource in Põlva County, Estonia

Abstract

Our survey among new land and forest owners in Põlva County in southeast Estonia focuses on the owners’ different motives for obtaining land and forest property through restitution and privatization from 1992 on. In the light of the historical context presented, two clear-cut motives for obtaining property appear:
emotional and economic. Based on the results from the survey we conclude that the emotional non-economic factors have been most influential for a majority of the landowners, regardless of if the actual property was restituted or purchased. The emotional bonds to landed property are related to the aspiration to regain and repossess family property and thereby related to a certain place affiliation. Another interpretation concerns the restrictions with regards to the spread of modern commercial forestry among the – foremost small-scale – property holders for which the actual possession is around 12 ha each.