This study provides the first assessment of carabid beetle diversity in a natural forest context that encompasses a complete black spruce (Picea mariana) natural succession. Boreal forest conservation has been based on several assumptions about forest age that only consider species richness without accounting for species composition. It has also been guided by studies of incomplete chronologies that do not include naturally burned or old-growth stages. Twenty-one forest stands of different ages following fire -- from recently burned to old-growth stages (0-340 years of age) -- were sampled, revealing a strong relationship between age of forest and diversity of Carabidae. Over time, species richness followed a parabolic U-shaped pattern both with observed (Obs) and predicted richness (ACE). Chronological clustering identified four groups of species in the succession: the 'burned' group characterized 0-2-year-old forests, 'regenerating' (21-58 year), 'mature' (70-170 year) and 'old-growth' (177-340 year). The time spans corresponding to each of these assemblages lengthen with age of forest at an exponential rate. Ward's and K-means (clustering without constraint) provided support for the four assemblages but showed variation between individual successions, particularly for the 'regenerating' assemblage, identified as the most heterogeneous. The IndVal method identified characteristic species in every stage of the succession, particularly Sericoda spp. In the burned stage and Dromius piceus and Platynus mannerheinmii associated with old-growth stands. The results obtained here show that diversity of Carabidae varies in primeval conditions according to age of forest and such variation should be taken into account when conservation issues are involved. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.