Tree house

I have seen a number of tree houses and assault course installations in trees. Every one I have seen has involved direct damage to the tree where the kit is attached. The usual culprets are large nails, staples or bolts in the tree, and cables strangling the trunk or branches. I have also seen some imaginative methods of attachment without damage. Less obvious problems can be created by changing where the rain water reaches the ground, either killing roots by drying out or by drowning them. Anyone considering building a tree house might consider having their plans checked over by a qualified tree surgeon, tree consultant, or local authority tree officer.

Thank you very much for your comments. I do not disagree that in many instances structures built around trees can have a negative impact on the health of the host trees and surrounding habitat. I would however like to point out that the majority of these structure are built by under skilled people who may not have an in depth grasp of the issues involved. I would like to assure you and the readers that all Blue Forest tree houses are built by skilled craftsmen using (time tested) techniques that have a negligible / minimal impact upon the host trees. Our team of full time employees includes a fully qualified arborist (tree surgeon), civil engineer, architect and time served joiners. As a company our reputation and future depends on the continued health and well-being of the host trees and we take every precaution to ensure there are no problems. Indeed, we recommend to all our clients in there Terms and Conditions that they have regular maintenance checks every two to three years so that we can continue to monitor the structures as the trees grow. Many of the tree houses we have built require full planning consent. As a part of this process the site and plans are assessed by an independent arborist as well as the local authority tree officer. We are occasionally asked to build in trees with Preservation Orders and have developed a technique for doing this which requires no direct fixing to the tree and minimal disturbance to the root zone and surrounding ground/drainage, etc. Kind Regards Simon Payne Director Blue Forest Ltd Any questions: info@blueforest.com

Hi, Im a 14 year old teenager and I was thinking about making or buying a tree house to put in my back yard. But wow these are amazing I thikn if I got one of those my mom would want to move in! So I have two questions. One... How much do these cost? and two... Can I get one?