The Black Woodpecker excavates its nest hole in stout trees — preferably aspen, beech or old pine. The hole is oval, about 12×8 cm, and is dug 30–50 cm down into the trunk. The pair rarely returns to the same hole; the abandoned nest holes are reused for decades by Boreal Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, Stock Dove, pine marten and squirrel.