Good Treehouse Timber

Top Trees for Treehouses: Recommendations from Arborists

Start with a Professional Evaluation

Before building a treehouse, consult a certified arborist to ensure your chosen tree is structurally sound. Arborists Alden Kelley and James Barry frequently help homeowners evaluate trees for their suitability.

It’s also wise to hire a civil engineer to draw up plans and check with your city to determine whether a building permit is required.

Recommended Trees for Treehouses

Below is a list of trees considered strong and stable enough for supporting treehouses:

  • Avocado
  • California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
  • Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
  • Cape Chestnut (Calodendrum capense)
  • Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides or C. speciosa)
  • Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
  • Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
  • Evergreen Pear (Pyrus kawakamii)
  • Holly Oak (Quercus ilex)
  • Lemon (large-sized varieties)
  • Lily-of-the-Valley Tree (Crinodendron patagua)
  • Modesto Ash (Fraxinus velutina ‘Modesto’)
  • Fruitless Mulberry (Morus alba, fruitless varieties)
  • Olive (Olea europaea)
  • Pecan (Carya illinoensis)
  • Sawleaf Zelkova (Zelkova serrata)
  • Southern California Black Walnut (Juglans californica)
  • Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.