So I created a tree house six years ago. That post has been one of the most read posts in my relatively quite blog. The main rationale for writing the blog was because I couldn’t find any information or plans for a tree house that doesn’t screw or bolt into the tree itself. My approach was to leave these channels to the tree that would keep the bark intact and allow water to travel up the tree, even though there is a constriction put into place. I was inherently building a tree house with focus in tree wellbeing.
So what happened?
I built a rope ladder from one level to the second. On top I created a fixed structure between the leves. As the tree grew, the upper level started to slowly tilt, due to the 2″x2″ keeping the distance between the other side of the platform constant. As the tilt increased and the kids got older, we decided to take down the top platform this summer. This gave a great opportunity to study how the tree is doing.
Clearly where the treated timber was pressed to the bark, there were markings. On top of that some insects had burrowed between the timber and the bark and laid eggs that had hatched. But upon closer inspection, the bugs hadn’t penetrated the bark. The bark between the timbers was looking as good as ever and no mold, fungus or other diseases were visibible. And of course, the tree was doing well, clearly getting water and nutrients from the ground.
So my summary, the attachment method to the tree was a success! this truly was a tree house with focus in tree wellbeing The way I joined the platforms together to get a better handrail for the ladders to the first platform, wasn’t such a good idea due to it forcing the upper platform to tilt. I’m still very happy!
