Regional variation in deadwood decay of 13 tree species: Effects of climate, soil and forest structure

•Mass loss of logs of 13 tree species over 9.8 years is best described by a linear or a sigmoidal model.•Logs of diffuse-porous angiosperms decay faster than ring-porous angiosperms and gymnosperms.•Logs of the same tree species exhibit large variability in mass loss across 29 forest sites.•Mass loss is highest in the region with higher temperature, dry and nutrient-poor soils.•Forest structure including deadwood stock in the neighborhood had little influence on mass loss.