Recently, commercial forests have been proposed to play a greater role in increasing the stock of deadwood. This causes a conflict between the biological and economic benefits of these forests. To find a solution to this problem in a large Natura 2000 area in southern Poland, we analyzed the relationship between stand properties and the quantity and quality of deadwood. On average, 184 pieces of deadwood were recorded per 1 ha. The average volume of snags and logs was 6.7 m³ ha⁻¹. The volume was 9.2 m³ ha⁻¹ if stumps were included. In black alder forests the volume was higher than elsewhere. Stump volume was highest in the youngest stands, but the volume of snags and logs was lower in them than in stands at harvest age. The thickness of living oaks and pines was significantly greater than that of their snags and logs, while no differences were found for trembling aspen, silver and downy birch, common hornbeam, common beech and Norway spruce. The distribution of volume across tree species differed between living stands and deadwood. Our results point to the economic value of timber as an important factor determining the distribution, thickness and species composition of deadwood in forest areas.