diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3ff096b..9e9a3c2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ Exporting communication devices has been hardcoded to create folders for top-lev
 
 Devices that have no `Communication` object at all are also supported since v0.2.0. The communication step is skipped for that device and no `communication` folder is created in the export; before v0.2.0 this aborted the export, import or Save As Template for the whole device.
 
+A second layout is also supported: on standard CODESYS hardware, Ethernet, Modbus and fieldbus devices often sit in the device tree as direct children of the PLC device, next to `Plc Logic`, rather than under a `Communication` node. These device-tree siblings are exported to `<device>/devices/<name>.xml` using a native recursive export, one file per top-level device. Children that contain an `Application` (for example the SafetyPLC and StandardPLC of a compound safety project) are excluded, as they are already exported through their own device entrypoint.
+
+**To disable the device-tree export, add a folder with the name `_NO_EXPORT` as a direct child of the PLC device.** The existing `_NO_EXPORT` folder under `Communication` continues to disable only the `Communication` export.
+
 ## Status
 
 CODESCRIBE has been tested only on CODESYS V3.5 SP11, using the project structure supplied by the IFM CR711s packages. Version 0.2.0 was validated end-to-end on V3.5 SP11 (32-bit) with an IFM CR711S compound (Standard + SIL2) project: export/import round-trip, code generation, simulation and a hardware download.
diff --git a/src/device_tree_import_export.py b/src/device_tree_import_export.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66a4423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/device_tree_import_export.py
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+# REMEMBER: this is python 2.7
+import os
+
+from communication_import_export import NO_EXPORT_FOLDER_NAME
+from import_export import read_native, write_native
+from object_type import ObjectType, get_object_type
+from util import *
+
+DEVICE_TREE_FOLDER_NAME = "devices"
+
+
+def no_export_device_tree(device_obj):
+    # Only a direct FOLDER child of the PLC device disables this export. A _NO_EXPORT
+    # folder nested under Communication keeps disabling the Communication export alone.
+    for child in device_obj.get_children():
+        if get_object_type(child) == ObjectType.FOLDER and child.get_name() == NO_EXPORT_FOLDER_NAME:
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+def _find_device_tree_sibling(device_obj, name):
+    # Match the export scope: only direct DEVICE children of the PLC device.
+    for child in device_obj.get_children():
+        if get_object_type(child) == ObjectType.DEVICE and child.get_name() == name:
+            return child
+    return None
+
+
+def export_device_tree_siblings(device_obj, device_folder, application, communication):
+    """
+    Export device-tree devices that sit next to Plc Logic as direct children of the PLC device
+    (Ethernet, Modbus, fieldbus). Each one is written as a single native recursive xml file under
+    <device_folder>/devices. Returns True when at least one device was exported.
+    """
+    if no_export_device_tree(device_obj):
+        return False
+
+    siblings = []
+    for child in device_obj.get_children():
+        if get_object_type(child) != ObjectType.DEVICE:
+            continue
+        if communication is not None and child == communication:
+            continue
+        # Skip children that carry an Application anywhere in their subtree, not just the
+        # Application passed in. In compound safety projects (e.g. the IFM CR711s) the
+        # SafetyPLC and StandardPLC are DEVICE children that each carry their own
+        # Application and are already exported through their own device entrypoint.
+        if first_or_none(child.find("Application", recursive=True)) is not None:
+            continue
+        siblings.append(child)
+
+    if len(siblings) < 1:
+        return False
+
+    devices_folder = os.path.join(device_folder, DEVICE_TREE_FOLDER_NAME)
+    os.mkdir(devices_folder)
+
+    for child in siblings:
+        write_native(child, os.path.join(devices_folder, child.get_name() + ".xml"), recursive=True)
+
+    return True
+
+
+def import_device_tree_siblings(device_obj, device_folder):
+    # import_native always pastes the archived object as a child of the receiving node,
+    # it never replaces in place. So the only way to update a tracked device is to
+    # remove it and import the xml into the PLC device. Devices fixed by the device
+    # package (e.g. Local_IO and HMI on IFM hardware) cannot be removed; their
+    # configuration is carried by the project template, like the fixed top-level
+    # communication devices, so they are skipped with a message.
+    devices_folder = os.path.join(device_folder, DEVICE_TREE_FOLDER_NAME)
+    if not os.path.exists(devices_folder):
+        return
+
+    if no_export_device_tree(device_obj):
+        return
+
+    for child_name in sorted(os.listdir(devices_folder)):
+        name, ext = os.path.splitext(child_name)
+        if ext != ".xml":
+            continue
+
+        device_node = _find_device_tree_sibling(device_obj, name)
+        if device_node is not None:
+            try:
+                device_node.remove()
+            except Exception:
+                print("Cannot remove fixed device " + name + ", skipping its import (the template carries its configuration)")
+                continue
+        # Missing device (fresh project from a template) and removed device both
+        # import the same way: the xml recreates the device under the PLC device.
+        read_native(os.path.join(devices_folder, child_name), device_obj)
+
+
+def remove_tracked_device_tree_devices(device_obj, device_folder):
+    devices_folder = os.path.join(device_folder, DEVICE_TREE_FOLDER_NAME)
+    if not os.path.exists(devices_folder):
+        return
+
+    if no_export_device_tree(device_obj):
+        return
+
+    for child_name in os.listdir(devices_folder):
+        name, ext = os.path.splitext(child_name)
+        if ext != ".xml":
+            continue
+
+        device_node = _find_device_tree_sibling(device_obj, name)
+        if device_node is None:
+            continue
+        try:
+            device_node.remove()
+        except Exception:
+            # Fixed package devices stay in the template; import skips them too.
+            print("Cannot remove fixed device " + name + ", leaving it in the template")
diff --git a/src/import_from_files.py b/src/import_from_files.py
index f3b3956..593b352 100644
--- a/src/import_from_files.py
+++ b/src/import_from_files.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import os
 
 from communication_import_export import import_communication
+from device_tree_import_export import import_device_tree_siblings
 from entrypoint import find_application, find_communication, get_device_entrypoints, get_src_folder
 from import_export import *
 from util import *
@@ -94,3 +95,5 @@ def import_from_files(project):
         communication = find_communication(device_obj)
         if communication is not None:
             import_communication(communication, device_folder)
+
+        import_device_tree_siblings(device_obj, device_folder)
diff --git a/src/script_export_to_files.py b/src/script_export_to_files.py
index 19d2077..fae8223 100644
--- a/src/script_export_to_files.py
+++ b/src/script_export_to_files.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import scriptengine  # type: ignore
 
 from communication_import_export import export_communication
+from device_tree_import_export import export_device_tree_siblings
 from entrypoint import find_application, find_communication, get_device_entrypoints, get_src_folder
 from import_export import OBJECT_TYPE_TO_EXPORT_FUNCTION, write_native
 from object_type import ObjectType, get_object_type
@@ -62,6 +63,8 @@ def export_child(child_obj, parent_obj, parent_folder_path):
         if communication is not None:
             export_communication(communication, device_folder)
 
+        export_device_tree_siblings(device_obj, device_folder, application, communication)
+
     finalize_export_folder(src_folder, staging_folder)
 except Exception as e:
     print(e)
diff --git a/src/script_save_as_template.py b/src/script_save_as_template.py
index b2a8dfe..fbf1565 100644
--- a/src/script_save_as_template.py
+++ b/src/script_save_as_template.py
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 import scriptengine  # type: ignore
 
 from communication_import_export import remove_tracked_communication_devices
-from entrypoint import find_application, find_communication, get_device_entrypoints
+from device_tree_import_export import remove_tracked_device_tree_devices
+from entrypoint import find_application, find_communication, get_device_entrypoints, get_src_folder
 from import_export import *
 from project_template import find_template_paths_and_versions, generate_template_path
 from util import *
@@ -53,6 +54,12 @@ def delete_old_templates(template_paths):
         if communication is not None:
             remove_tracked_communication_devices(communication)
 
+        # The list of tracked devices lives in the primary project's export folder.
+        # The template copy has its own file name, so its src folder never exists
+        # on disk and would make this a no-op.
+        device_folder = os.path.join(get_src_folder(scriptengine.projects.primary), device_obj.get_name())
+        remove_tracked_device_tree_devices(device_obj, device_folder)
+
     template_project.save()
 
     if len(template_paths) > 0:
diff --git a/tools/ci/import_smoke.py b/tools/ci/import_smoke.py
index d7eb9c1..861c50a 100644
--- a/tools/ci/import_smoke.py
+++ b/tools/ci/import_smoke.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
     "entrypoint",
     "import_export",
     "communication_import_export",
+    "device_tree_import_export",
     "import_from_files",
     "project_template",
 ]