ForClim is a cohort-based model that was developed to analyze successional pathways of various forest types in Central Europe. Following the standard approach of gap models ForClim simulates the establishment; growth and mortality of trees on multiple independent patches (typically n = 200) in annual time steps to derive regional-scale stand dynamics. ForClim is currently parameterized for ca. 180 tree species dominant of temperate forests worldwide. The model has been tested comprehensively for the representation of natural forest dynamics of temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere, with an emphasis on European forests. ForClim may be freely used under the terms of the "GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE v3" license.