Summary

Deadwood is an integral and often substantial component of natural forests. It provides wildlife habitat, maintains ecosystem health and influences geomorphological processes. In managed forests, however, potential deadwood volumes are reduced by felling and extraction of timber to a small fraction of the volume found in natural forests. This impairs biodiversity and can affect some aspects of ecosystem health and geomorphological processes. Recent international conventions and national policy commitments aimed at sustaining biodi-versity and ecosystem functions imply that British forests should contain more deadwood. This review identifies priorities and outlines a strategy whereby quantities of deadwood, and the bene-fits that it offers, may be usefully increased without disproportionate reductions in the output of timber and wood. International policy context The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio 1992) resolved that 'Forest resources and forest lands should be sustainably managed to meet the social, economic, ecological, cultural, and spiri-tual needs of present and future generations'. This was interpreted by the European Governments that attended the Secon