3 December 2012: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a publication titled “Manual for building tree volume and biomass allometric equations,” as part of its support to forest monitoring and assessment. The objective of the manual is to improve the assessment of carbon storage and carbon stock changes in trees.

The manual, which was developed in collaboration with the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), uses measurements of tree diameter, height and density to better estimate carbon stocks.

The manual describes a seven-step methodology including: the selection of the area and biomass variables to be used; the design and implementation of sampling; the input and analysis of data; the application of the allometric equations; and validation of the model.

The manual also outines areas of potential error including sampling error and prediction error. In order to avoid such areas, the manual provides guidance on sampling methodologies and processes, as well as data analysis and model-fitting. [Publication: Manual for Building Tree Volume and Biomass Allometric Equations]