Change in Potential Suitable Areas and Carbon Sequestration Potential of Robinia pseudoacacia Plantations in the “Ω”-Shaped Bend of the Yellow River Under Climate Change

Robinia pseudoacacia is a major tree species for soil and water conservation afforestation in the “Three-North” Region, with crucial ecological improvement and carbon sequestration functions. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of suitable areas and carbon storage of R. pseudoacacia plantations under different future climate scenarios, further reveal the changing trend of their carbon sequestration potential, and provide a scientific basis for the rational layout and sustainable management of R. pseudoacacia plantations in the “Ω”-shaped bend of the Yellow River. Based on the MaxEnt model, we predicted the potential suitable distribution of R. pseudoacacia under future climate change scenarios, identified the potentially threatened geographical distribution regions and area changes in R. pseudoacacia, and clarified the limiting factors affecting the potential geographical distribution of R. pseudoacacia plantations by analyzing the contribution rates and permutation importance of comprehensive environmental variables. Combined with the InVEST model, we estimated and analyzed the spatial distribution of carbon storage in R. pseudoacacia plantations in the 2090s. The results showed that the minimum temperature of the coldest month was the main environmental factor affecting the distribution of potential suitable areas of R. pseudoacacia plantations, with a contribution rate of 46.98%, followed by annual precipitation. Under current climatic conditions, the potential suitable areas of R. pseudoacacia plantations were mainly distributed in the Loess Plateau, Hetao Plain, Ordos Plateau, Kubuqi Desert, and northern Mu Us Sandy Land. The highly suitable areas were mainly concentrated in the south-central part of the Loess Plateau, accounting for approximately 22.81% of the total area of the “Ω”-shaped bend of the Yellow River. Under future climate change, the moderately and highly suitable areas tended to shift northwestward. Under the four future climate scenarios, the carbon storage and carbon density of R. pseudoacacia plantations showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing; by 2100, the carbon storage reached the maximum under the SSP370 scenario, and the areas with medium-to-high carbon storage first expanded and then contracted, mainly concentrated in the Ordos Plateau and Loess Plateau.