The secondary shoot elongation of Neckera pennata, a bryophyte vulnerable to forest management, was studied at three old-growth forest sites in Estonia for five years. Shoot elongation was significantly dependent on the Weather Index that was constructed on the basis of several weather parameters. For each shoot, the increments of adjacent years show significant autocorrelation. The mean shoot elongation during the study period was 2.8 mm per year. Although the species has been found mostly on Populus tremula in Estonia, it does not show a preference for this tree. The species' occurrence was significantly positively correlated with tree trunk circumference and bark pH. Seventeen percent of available tree trunks were occupied naturally on two ca. 1000 m² plots during the study period. Shoot transplantation at two sites was successful for 36% of shoots after four years and can be considered as a possibility for restoring populations of Neckera pennata.