The volume of dead wood by fractions, components, species composition and decay stages in natural lime-ash-oak forest in Vita river valley within the protected zone of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park in northern part of forest-steppe of Ukraine is studied and presented. The study was conducted on permanent sample plot by identifying and measuring components of standing dead wood (standing dead trees, snags) and lying (fallen dead trees, logs and tree branches) dead wood. Total volume of deadwood is 94.2 m3 ·ha–1, and consists of standing dead wood (23.9 m3 ·ha–1) and lying deadwood (70.3 m3 ·ha–1). Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) has the highest proportion of total dead wood volume – 43.2% (40.7 m3 ·ha–1) followed by common oak (Quercus robur L.) with 32.0% (30.1 m3 ·ha–1). Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) and linden (Tilia cordata Mill.) have 10.1 and 8.8 % respectively of total dead wood volume. The relative sharing of wych elm (Ulmus glabra Huds.) and black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaerth.) is low. Common ash has the highest proportion of standing dead wood volume – 59.4%, the proportion of hornbeam is much lower – 23.8%. Standing dead wood mainly belongs to decay stage I (81.6%). The volume of lying dead wood consists mainly of common oak (40.8%) and common ash (37.7%). In general lying dead wood belongs to decay stages I–V, although decay stages III and IV dominate. Among tree species only common ash has lying dead wood of all five decay stages, although dead wood of III and IV decay stages dominates with proportions 35.2% and 29.3% respectively. Lying dead wood of other tree species belongs to one-three decay stages with domination one decay stage. Dead wood displayed a wide range of variation in fractions and components, tree species and decay stages may have an important role in creating a high diversity of habitats and substrates for wildlife organisms in studied forest ecosystems