article id 38,
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                        Review article
                    
        
                                    
                                    
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                            In response to the growing interest in estimating carbon stocks in  forests, available allometric equations have been compiled for  sub-Saharan Africa. Tree, sprout and stand volume and biomass equations  were reviewed. The 850 equations and 125 related references were  incorporated into an open-access database on the Carboafrica website  (http://www.carboafrica.net). The collected information provides a basic  tool for the estimation of biomass and carbon stocks and other  purposes, such as bioenergy and fodder supply assessment. A Tier-method  approach was developed to illustrate the possible use of the equations.  Current available biomass expansion factors that are used to convert a  volume to the total aboveground biomass appear to be limited; incomplete  species-specific allometric equations are preferred to generalised  equations. The analysis of the database highlighted important gaps in  available tools to assess forest carbon stocks and changes in these  stocks. A quality control assessment revealed that 22% of the equations  were misreported and recommendations were proposed to guide further  research. Further statistical analyses, such as the Bayesian approach,  would help to produce more accurate biomass estimates.
                        
                
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                            Henry,
                            IRD, UMR Eco&Sols, Montpellier SupAgro, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France; Di.S.A.F.Ri, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy; and AgroParisTech-ENGREF, GEEFT, Montpellier, France
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            henry@unitus.it
                                                                                          
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                            Picard,
                            CIRAD, Montpellier, France
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            np@nn.fr
                                                                                
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                            Trotta,
                            Di.S.A.F.Ri, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            ct@nn.it
                                                                                
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                            Manlay,
                            IRD, UMR Eco&Sols, Montpellier SupAgro, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France; and AgroParisTech-ENGREF, GEEFT, Montpellier, France
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            rjm@nn.fr
                                                                                
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                            Valentini,
                            Di.S.A.F.Ri, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            rv@nn.it
                                                                                
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                            Bernoux,
                            IRD, UMR Eco&Sols, Montpellier SupAgro, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            mb@nn.fr
                                                                                
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                            Saint-André,
                            CIRAD, Montpellier, France; and INRA, UR1138, Biogeochimie des Ecosystèmes Forestiers, Champenoux, France
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            lsa@nn.fr