The joy of climbing a tree is bringing nature back into playgrounds

As concerns grow over children’s lack of ability to assess risk, combined with sedentary lifestyles, screen addiction and the sterile uniformity of traditional play equipment, a new generation of play spaces is turning to something far older - trees. Trees are sustainably sourced from within the UK and are repurposed as fallen trunks and branches and being reintroduced into parks and playgrounds across the country.  Known as Play Trees and Play Logs and frequently working together with living trees - these installations are not just visually striking - they are transforming how children engage with the outdoors, offering physical challenges, the assessment of risk through play, sparking creativity, building confidence and a vital connection to nature, writes Robert Wilkins, operations director at Ruskins.

Play trees are not a new idea. In fact, they take us back to the world’s first playgrounds - the woods. Long before fixed play equipment became standardised, children clambered over fallen trunks, swung from low branches and balanced along limbs shaped by the wind and weather. Today, landscape architects and playground contractors are rediscovering these elements and weaving them into designed playgrounds with a renewed appreciation for nature – but what are Play Trees?

In short, they can be many things - a large horizontal tree, a series of robust logs used for balancing or climbing, incorporated into a play area with custom pathways or ropes, or even a set of upright vertical trunks arranged into an interactive formation. They can exist as standalone sculptures or as integral elements in larger natural play schemes. These installations rely on real timber and are designed to meet safety standards while still offering a tactile, wild experience.

One of the advantages of Play Trees is their sheer versatility. A single trunk can serve as a climbing beam, a lookout point, a bench, or a storytelling corner. Clustered together, multiple trees become an adventure, a   maze, a forest fortress, or a pretend jungle. In this sense, they encourage imaginative, open-ended play - an area increasingly championed by child development specialists.

Why natural play matters

Natural play encourages creativity, physical challenges and strengthens resilience.  Unlike prefabricated play equipment, which often dictates how a child must use it, Play Trees and other natural elements leave space for invention. A sloping trunk becomes a pirate ship mast. A balance beam turns into a tightrope above molten lava. Children build their own narratives and test their own limits.

The benefits are also physical. Natural timber surfaces vary in texture and temperature, improving sensory input. Irregular shapes demand balance and coordination. They build strength and dexterity, particularly in younger children. Perhaps more importantly, they teach risk awareness - a skill all too often engineered out of modern playgrounds.

There is also a growing body of research showing that natural spaces reduce stress, improve attention spans and support mental wellbeing. When children engage with real materials like wood, stone and soil, they connect more deeply with their environment. This connection forms the foundation for environmental awareness in later life.

Robert comments that they often see when people interact with their Play Trees and Play Logs, an “inner monkey” emerges from within people, always accompanied by a cheshire cat like grin, as people re-engage with trees.

For local authorities, schools and public landowners, incorporating Natural Play features is also about practicality. Sustainable Play Tree installations can often be more cost-effective than large, manufactured installations. They are scalable, flexible and can be adjusted to fit difficult or constrained sites. Specialist contractors who supply Play Trees often hold reserves of ready-to-install materials, allowing projects to move quickly and meet tight deadlines.

Working with large, heavy trees - some with extensive branch structures - requires technical knowledge, especially when access is limited or where existing landscaping must be preserved. Experience in lifting and positioning trees in awkward spaces is essential to deliver installations that are both safe and visually striking. Done correctly, a well-positioned Play Tree can become a focal point - not only for play but also for community identity.

As specialists in this area, Ruskins has recently created a playground out of a cluster of five upright vertical trees to create a “play forest.” The effect was both dramatic and playful, allowing children to weave between the trunks, play hide-and-seek and use them as bases for imaginary games. This grouping of several trees created a microenvironment with height, form and movement, where a single tree would have made a far more limited impact.

Sustainability and ethics

One concern sometimes raised about Play Trees is whether the removal of trees for play is environmentally sound. Reputable contractors like us, address this by sourcing only from sustainable, managed woodlands and ensuring that dead or felled trees used for play purposes are replaced or compensated through replanting as part of the felling licence. The carbon footprint of a Play Tree installation is often negligible, especially when compared to the manufacturing and transport involved in plastic or metal alternatives.

In fact, when done responsibly, the use of dead trees in playgrounds can form part of a holistic ecological approach. It repurposes timber that might otherwise be chipped or burned and by working with the natural form of the tree rather than shaping it into something artificial, it honours the material’s origin. Living trees incorporated into playgrounds are usually selected and positioned in such a way that they can thrive, rather than be compromised by footfall or a proximity to hard landscaping. Then after their natural lifecycle they continue to serve a purpose by storing, then returning to the soil the nutrients and carbon held within, whilst at the same time being an excellent host for wildlife.     

Equally important, landowners need to be aware that natural play design is not simply a matter of installing a few logs and walking away. It requires thoughtful integration with the landscape, an understanding of how children of different ages play and sensitivity to the character of the local community. In parks, urban greenspaces, schools and nature reserves, successful play tree designs have been those that reflect the surroundings - whether wild, urban, formal, or rewilded.

Crucially, Play Trees do not exist in isolation. They often link with other features such as rope bridges, earth mounds, water features, or natural amphitheatres. Used this way, they become part of a broader natural play narrative - a space that evolves, grows and responds to the people who use it.

As our cities become more densely built and childhood becomes more digitally oriented, the need for real, tangible interaction with the natural world becomes ever more important. Play Trees offer a vital solution. They bring together sustainability, creativity and physical engagement in a way few modern playground components can match.

Our mission extends beyond  creating fun and natural playgrounds, we are committed to pursuing environmentally sustainable practices, ensuring that every Play Tree / Play Log contributes to the plant by increasing biodiversity.

It is no surprise then that more local councils, schools, and developers are investing in natural play spaces that go beyond the functional. They are choosing installations that invite curiosity, support biodiversity and help shape the kind of childhood we want our young people to have - one rooted in exploration, imagination and the joy of climbing a tree