Pioneer tree species accelerate restoration of tree-related microhabitats in 50-year-old reserves of Białowieża Forest, Poland.

Retention of structural elements such as deadwood and habitat trees at the level of forest stands has been promoted to integrate biodiversity conservation into multiple-use forest management. The conservation value of habitat trees is largely determined by the presence, richness, and abundance of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs). Since TreMs are often lacking in intensively managed forests, an important question of forest conservation is how the abundance and richness of TreMs may be effectively restored.

Mesophication in temperate Europe: A dendrochronological reconstruction of tree succession and fires in a mixed deciduous stand in Białowieża Forest.

The shift from shade-intolerant species to shade-tolerant mesophytic species in deciduous and mixed forests of the temperate zone is well described in studies from North America. This process has been termed and it has been linked to changes in fire regime. Fire suppression results in the cessation of establishment of heliophytic, fire-dependent tree species such as oak () and pine ().