Treehouses are fun places to play, and they help foster an appreciation of trees among youngsters. And if you have some basic tools, some creativity and, of course, a big, stable tree, you can easily build the treehouse of your dreams.
We’ll try to help you get started by sharing five tips to keep both your kids and your trees safe when building a treehouse.
1. Choose a Treehouse Plan
Treehouses are often categorized by the way they’re supported. Essentially, they can be free-standing, attached to the branches, or attached to the trunk. Knowing which treehouse design to choose helps ensure everyone’s safety during construction.
Freestanding treehouses are supported from the ground, typically by stilts. These are the best for the tree, as they don’t require you to drill into the wood much, if at all. These can require more design work and materials, but they’ll keep your trees in better condition over the long run.
If you need to attach the treehouse to the tree, try to connect it to the branches if possible. The screws and hardware you use to connect it may open the branches to decay, but that’s better than exposing the actual trunk to decay, which may require you to have the tree removed.
2. Choose a Tree in a Safe Location
To ensure the safety of your entire family and plants, choose a tree that’s not located near power lines. Trees can cause serious safety hazards when they come into contact with electricity.
Ideally, it would be best to build your treehouse in a place with a lot of room. This will help reduce the chances that it’ll contact power lines and also provide the best views from the tree house. It’ll also help ensure that no other trees will fall on your treehouse, potentially destroying it or even leading to injuries.
3. Allow Room for Growth
It’s important to note that trees not only grow taller and longer over time; they also widen. And this includes not only the trunk but the branches too.
So, be sure that you allow for growth when designing and constructing your treehouse. This will help keep your tree healthy for years to come. One way to do so is by using flexible straps to affix the treehouse to the branches, as you can loosen them to allow for the new growth. You could also use long bolts, if need be. Just be sure to adjust the nuts periodically.
Also, remember that if you need to prune the tree in order to accommodate the structure or supports, you’ll want to let a tree care professional complete the work. This will help prevent fungi from colonizing the wounds created.
4. Pick the Right Tree
Not all trees are equally well suited for treehouses. While you can build one in a pine or other “softwood” species, it is generally a better idea to select a healthy hardwood, such as an oak (particularly a white oak).
But even within a species, some individual trees will work better than others for treehouses. For example, you’ll want to avoid trees with diseases, active insect infestations, large hollows, or the presence of fungi (mushrooms or conks), as these can all be indicators of internal decay.
Finally, try to select a tree that is well-balanced, has a healthy crown, and doesn’t feature a lot of dead branches.
5. Place Mulch Under the Tree
It’s important to help support the health of the tree, especially given the stress that treehouse can inflict upon it. So, lay a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch under the tree’s canopy once you’ve finished constructing the treehouse (or before, if you can).
This will do a number of thing’s for the tree’s health, such as improving the soil structure, retaining moisture, and insulating the roots from temperature extremes. It’ll also protect the tree and roots from mower damage.
But perhaps most importantly, the mulch will help prevent the soil from being compacted. This is a crucial consideration, given the extra foot traffic you and your kids will be creating around the tree over the coming years.
Contact Longtree for All of Your Tree-Care Needs!
Hopefully, these tips will help as you get started on your new treehouse project. But don’t ever hesitate to contact an expert arborist (not just a regular “tree guy”), for additional help and advice. An arborist can help you maintain your tree in good condition and spot the first signs of danger.
Book a free consultation today if you would like some advice or you simply need the trees around your treehouse trimmed safely (and during the right time of year)! No matter what plans you have for your trees, the professionals at Longtree Tree Service can help! We’ve been helping residential and commercial clients care for their Michigan trees since 2019, and we can help you too.
Whether you need stump grinding services, emergency tree removal, or even crane-assisted tree removal, our ISA-certified arborists are standing by.