As we have seen in chapter 3, the extensive human influence of the Nordic forests, especially over the last century with most forests strongly shaped by industrial forestry, has had profound effects on ecological properties of primary importance to biodiversity. This particularly pertains to properties shaped by natural forest dynamics and typical of old-growth forests, such as a rich and varied supply of dead wood and old and large trees, as well as forests with longterm intact canopy cover and hydrological regime. As we have seen in chapter 3, natural forest dynamics provide an important paradigm or framework for the conservation of biodiversity, as native species and ecosystems have evolved under such dynamics over millions of years.