Relationships between coarse woody debris habitat quality and forest maturity attributes

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important contributor to forest biodiversity because it provides essential habitat for saproxylic (dead wood‐dependent) species. However, CWD is frequently overlooked in forest management and restoration decisions around the world. We have therefore developed an index of CWD habitat quality that integrates four important characteristics of saproxylic habitat. We apply this index to wet eucalypt forests in Tasmania, Australia. The relationships between the CWD index and standing forest structural and floristic maturity metrics were weak (R