The paper describes the utilization of thermal analysis methods for determination of the kinetics of biomass pyrolysis using as an example thermal decomposition of xylan from birch, which is considered to be one of the main components of plant biomass. The experiments were carried out non-isothermally in the temperature range from 30 to 1000 degrees C in the atmosphere of argon. In the present study, the decomposition rates were measured using a thermobalance reactor coupled with a mass spectrometer to get information about gaseous products evolved from the sample at various temperatures. The experimental data were used to estimate the parameters (activation energy, pre-exponential factor and reaction order) for groups of reactions occurring during the pyrolysis of xylan. Three various methods of parameter estimation (isoconversion method, Kissinger method and non-linear regression) were employed. The quality of kinetic parameters obtained by different methods was verified by comparison of the TG and DTG profiles predicted by the rate equation with the experimental ones.