Tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) have been promoted as indicators of forest biodiversity and to guide conservation practices. Ensuring the provision of diverse TreMs in the long term is crucial for the survival of many forest-dwelling species. Yet, this task is challenging in the absence of information regarding TreM dynamics. We analysed the temporal development of TreMs on 11,569 living trees in temperate European forests....

Key message Drivers of the abundance and richness of tree-related microhabitats are similar in mountain forests of Europe and North America and their occurrence may be explained by tree functional groups. Abstract A common approach to support forest-dwelling species in managed forests is to preserve valuable habitat trees. To assess the quality of habitat trees, a hierarchical typology of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) is...