%0 Review article
%T U.S. landowner behavior, land use and land cover changes, and climate change mitigation
%A Alig, Ralph J.
%D 2003
%J Silva Fennica
%V 37
%N 4
%R doi:10.14214/sf.489
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/489
%X Landowner behavior is a major determinant of land use and land cover  changes, an important consideration for policy analysts concerned with  global change. Study of landowner behavior aids in designing more  effective incentives for inducing land use and land cover changes to  help mitigate climate change by reducing net greenhouse gas emissions.  Afforestation, deforestation, reforestation, and timber harvest are the  most frequent land management practices that influence forest carbon  stocks and flux. Research studies provide estimates of how private  landowners respond to market signals and government programs and how  they alter land management. For example, landowners have tended to  retain subsidized afforested stands well beyond program life in the  United States, suggesting that similar programs for climate change  mitigation could result in high rates of retention. At the same time,  policy makers need to be aware that unintended consequences of policies  can lead to significantly different outcomes than envisioned, including  leakage possibilities.