The accurate estimation of biomass in tropical forests is crucial
for many applications, from the commercial exploitation of timber
to the global carbon cycle. Particularly in the latter context the
estimation of the total above-ground biomass (TAGB) with an
accuracy sufficient to establish the increments or decrements in
carbon stored in the forest over relatively short periods of time (2–
10 years) is increasingly important. Under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries
have to report regularly the state of their forest resources and