Forest Carbon Dynamics as a Constraint on Future Land-Use and Land-Cover Change

Accurate projections of land use and land cover change (LULCC) are crucial for understanding global change and guiding climate mitigation. Most projections emphasize socioeconomic and climatic drivers but overlook feedbacks from forest carbon dynamics. Luo et al. (2025) address this gap by coupling a terrestrial biosphere model (CLASSIC) with an integrated assessment model (GCAM) to assess how forest carbon dynamics shapes future LULCC. Their results show that climate-, CO(2-), and policy-driven carbon dynamics strongly influence land allocation, reducing managed-forest expansion and moderating losses of unmanaged lands.