History Main / ArborealAbode

* All the houses in ''VideoGame/PaleoPines'' are built into trees. In honour of this, people celebrate budding days on the anniversary of when they moved in.

The use of this trope often shows that the characters are woodsy or in a nature-based setting. For the trope to be in effect the tree actually has to be converted in some manner to serve as a house. A squirrel living in a hole in a tree doesn't count because that's just what squirrels do.

* ''Literature/MySideOfTheMountain'': Sam makes his home in a tree. It's probably one of the more realistic examples you're likely to find because the occupancy is exactly one person and a few small personal items. Even adding his pet falcon is pushing it.

* ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'': The turtle wizard Clothahump's home is inside a massive oak tree that's larger on the inside than the outside, though it's really expensive to cast that spell because it causes inflation.

*** The elven forest city of Suldanessellar consists of more than a dozen large trees hollowed out and made into homes.

*** The town of Myth Dyrallis has one large central tree and a number of regular trees which have been hollowed out to act as buildings and homes for the elves who live there.

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* In ''VideoGame/MolesWorld'', Lele and his uncle reside in a big tree refashioned into a house.
* Yang Guoguo from ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf: Mighty Little Defenders'' lives in a big tree with a door, several windows, etc.

* In ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story "The Wild Smurf", the Smurfs build an arboreal abode to hide themselves in when Gargamel is able to find the Smurf Village after a fire had wiped out a good portion of the Smurf Forest. After Gargamel had been taken into custody by the local authorities and the Smurfs are able to return to their village, Wild Smurf remains living in the empty abode with the squirrels.
* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': In ''Recap/AsterixAndTheMissingScroll'', the great druid Archaeopterix’s house is build inside a gigantic oak tree. Complete with water mill.
* ''The Outsiders'', were introduced in ComicBook/JimmyOlsen's comic books, and they live in "Habitat" a complete city within gigantic trees.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'', Cornelius lives in a tree, with windows and doors carved into it, and a library on the inside. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight Lucky thing the humans never notice it later in the film.]]

* Home Tree in ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' is honeycombed with natural spaces where the Na'vi live. It's a ''huge'' tree, comparable to a skyscraper but much wider. The weak points in its structural integrity are a plot point.
* In ''Film/TallTale'', Paul Bunyan is living in a Californian Sequoia forest. (In this version, he's a very large guy but not a ''giant'' as he was in the original tall tales.) He's converted the trunk of a single felled Sequoia into a spacious house.

* In ''Literature/MySideOfTheMountain'' Sam makes his home in a tree. It's probably one of the more realistic examples you're likely to find because the occupancy is exactly one person and a few small personal items. Even adding his pet falcon is pushing it.

* In Alan Dean Foster's ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' series, the turtle wizard Clothahump's home is inside a massive oak tree that's larger on the inside than the outside, though it's really expensive to cast that spell because it causes inflation.
* Terry Pratchett's ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'' has the useless wizard Rincewind captured by classical Graecian tree-spirits, the Dryads. They have resolved the "we live in a tree but the tree is still green and flourishes, indeed we and the tree need each other to thrive" paradox by being multi-dimensional - indeed their Tree shares many attributes of a TARDIS of ''Series/DoctorWho'' fame, by being far larger on the inside than on the outside. The Tree of the Dryads and the great forest tree they seemingly inhabit may not occupy ''exactly'' the same dimension of space-time...
* Larry Niven's ''Literature/TheIntegralTrees'' has an example of this In Space: a neutron star orbited by a ring-shaped cloud of breathable gas, where huge, multi-kilometer-long "integral trees" orbited within and provided shelter, nourishment, and raw materials for humans who colonized the system.
* Many of the characters in ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'', Piglet and Pooh himself most notably.
* In ''Literature/HairMadeOfStarlight'', an ArabianNightsDays-esque adaptation of Literature/{{Rapunzel}}, the heroine Saffron lives at the top of a giant tree in a desert instead of a tower in the forest.
* In ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'', the elves of Lornadoon live inside hollowed-out dead trees.
* The protagonists of the ''Literature/InDesertAndWilderness'' spend some time living in a naturally hollowed-out trunk of a baobab tree. It's treated fairly realistically - they have to clear layers of compost and get out various previous inhabitants, such as insects and reptiles, but the trunk still provides better shelter than tents. Also, baobabs are ''huge''.
* ''Literature/BooksOfTheRaksura'': The "mountain-trees" are colossal magical trees, hundreds or thousands of yards high, whose branches and canopies support entire ecosystems, including forests of smaller trees. To create colonies, the DraconicHumanoid Raksura implant a mountain-tree with a magical seed that lets them shape the tree's growth and form huge networks of rooms within the trunk. [[spoiler:The downside of this is that a colony tree will slowly die if its seed is removed.]]
* In the ''Literature/XandriCorelel'' series, the Psittacans' hatchery is in a hollowed-out tree trunk.

* In ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood of Make Believe'', X the Owl lived behind a door on the trunk of a tree. (Henrietta Pussycat lived in the same tree, but in a small house attached to a branch, so that doesn't count.)

* One pops up in the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Small Magic''. The town where Janus' castle is located is built atop the roots of a giant tree, and the tree itself has been transformed into the royal palace.

* Ariel, from Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest'', is found by the sorcerer Prospero inside a tree, though whether the spirit lives there or is merely caught is sometimes debated.

** Quite a lot of the Minish in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'' live in trees. This is justifiable for them because they are only a couple inches tall and can easily inhabit hollows in a tree without damaging it.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', the Great Deku Tree has an inn inside his "belly". Besides being a botanical setting, it's also unique among the other inns because Link can rest in it for free.
* The SNES RPG ''VideoGame/SailorMoonAnotherStory'' has the Sailor Senshi splitting up and going around the world. Sailor Jupiter visits the exotic, mysterious land of ''Canada'' where people live ''inside trees''.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', you can create a Secret Base, which you can decorate and send to other players. One of the location types available for this are large trees.
* The citizens of Cleyra in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' live in a giant tree that is protected by a sandstorm.

* In ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series, the [[AllThereInTheManual side materials]] reveal that [[TheFairFolk fairies]] live inside trees, flowers, and any parts of nature. These fairy houses are invisible to humans, who see them as normal trees.
* Though only seen from a distance, the age of Narayan's Lattice Tree in ''[[VideoGame/MystIIIExile Myst III: Exile]]'' looks like one of these, except it's an entire city. Ditto for the age of Tay in the sequel, ''{{VideoGame/Riven}}''.
* The home base in ''[[VideoGame/PurpleMoon Secret Paths in the Forest]]'' could manifest as a hollowed-out and decorated old tree. In this example, the hollow tree was actually dead, making more sense than most -- if you ignore the whole "shapeshifting to be a log cabin or a treehouse depending on the player's preference" thing.
* ''VideoGame/DustyRevenge'' have the boss fight against Amelia Swift, set on a tree containing multiple rooms, connected by platforms. You spend most of the fight chasing Amelia as you make your way to the top, and after defeating her you find a hidden entrance on the bark leading to the next stage, an underground city.
* Subverted by elves in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress''. Elves are able to shape trees to suit their needs, but they only just make platforms and walkways using this ability.
* The eleventh installment of the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' focuses on a location called the Dire Tree - an entire ''kingdom'' inside a hollow tree.
* In ''VideoGame/PinkPantherHokusPokusPink'', the wizard Strangeblood's hut is inside a large, hollow tree.
* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy 4'' has Greenwood Village, where all the buildings are hollowed out trees, including Anna's house.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourneySaga'', Abnaxus lives in a hollowed-out tree trunk.
* The seventh location of ''VideoGame/DinerDashAdventures'' is an inn made of a hollowed out giant tree.
* ''VideoGame/MarioParty6'': The board Towering Treetop takes place around a large, sentient tree, and wooden houses are located around the top; the paths go through the branches and canopies of the large tree, as well as a few other erected trunks. One of the upper paths can be crossed during day thanks to an open pink flower that acts as a trampoline, while another upper path is impassable due to a purple flower being closed (thus only allowing access to a nearby lower path); the flowers swap states during night, with the pink flower closing and only allowing access to a lower path, and the purple one opening and giving a bounce to its upper path. Other features include a flower house from which a player can ride a fluff for free if they land onto the Event Space at the front, a beehive whose swarm will sting the player (making them lose coins) if they land on any of the surrounding Event Spaces, a spot from which the player can make the big tree sneeze and make all players located in the upper parts fall down due to the resulting shake, and most notably the presence of Woody (during day) and Evil Woody (during night), both of ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'' fame.
* As the names imply, the rival kingdoms of [=GreatTree=] and [=GreatLog=] in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'' and ''Dragon Quest Monsters 2'' are entire kingdoms (well, they're more like large towns) built into the trunks of enormous trees seemingly floating in endless seas.

* Bitey of ''WebAnimation/{{Brackenwood}}'' lives inside a hollow tree, in pretty primitive lodgings. The witch Lemony Wee lives in a somewhat more urbane pink tower on top of a tree.
* In ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'', the titular characters seem to split their time between living in trees and living in normal houses.
* Ashe of ''WebAnimation/ThrillingIntent'' grew up a house carved into the trunk of a large tree.

* ''Webcomic/DaisyOwl'': Daisy and her family live in one, [[http://www.daisyowl.com/comic/2008-07-14 which probably isn't up to code.]]
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', the Anwyn of Gillitie Wood use magic to shape trees into structural supports for their houses. This is mainly shown in the side comic "Annie in the Forest".
* In ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'', Woo's girlfriend Lily lives in a tree. This is not unexpected, given that she's a raccoon, but her hole in the tree has woven rugs and a pool table.
* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', Kalliv and his family are shown ([[{{Animorphism}} as mice]]) living in a hollowed out tree [[https://yokokasquest.com/comic/chapter-8-page-1/ during his flashback]].
* In ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'', Jessica the Opposum lives in one. Well, initially she lives in [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/12/04/cold-snap/ a hole in a tree]] with a door and minimal furnishings, but after she's reluctantly made the star of a reality show called ''Flip That Den'', it [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/03/11/the-one-tower/ becomes]] a fully furnished three-story tower with attic bedroom, solar panels and a rainwater tank. It's so nice that she decides she can't possibly live in it when all the other woodland animals are living in ordinary holes, so it becomes a community home.

* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': Bugs lives in a tree in at least one cartoon, "The Case of the Missing Hare".

%%* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Finn and Jake live in one.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/HeyDuggee'': Norrie lives in a tree.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/WowWowWubbzy'': Wubbzy.
* ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndDale'': The titular chipmunks are often shown living in furnished houses built within trees.
* In ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', Sector V has their HomeBase in a tree; they all have regular houses to go back to but they spend all day there anyway.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': Slappy Squirrel lives in a tree, with electricity so that she can watch TV in there.

* On ''WesternAnimation/GeniusGenie'', most of the characters live in a tree that's been transformed into a three-story apartment complex, with each floor having a different tenant.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'': Crawford Crow has a home in a tree with an elevator to ground level.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'': The "Raccoondominium" is one of these. Justified somewhat by one of the specials, which states that the trees are big enough for this sort of thing. In the later episodes, we find out that Bentley and Lisa's home is one as well. However, interior wise, it's much closer to a suburban home than the hollowed-out look of the 'Raccoondominium'. (It even has a garage!)
* ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit'': Peter lives in one. Mr. Tod's lair is a variation, as it's a house built into the ''roots'' of a tree.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'': Harvey lives in a two-story house partially built out of a tree. [[WildChild Fee and Foo]] live high up in the branches. Most of the other houses are conventionally constructed, though Randl's business (which might also be his living quarters) is entirely inside a tree (and is a good bit BiggerOnTheInside).
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Jellabies}}'', Pepper's home is in a hollowed-out tree trunk.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' Classic supplement ''Alien Module 8 - Darrians: Secret of the Star Trigger''. When the Darrians were first brought to their new planet, they lived inside large hollowed out trees. The trees grew nutritious fruits for them to eat.
* ''Encounter Critical'' supplement ''Asteroid 1618''. In the Domed City, a number of elves live inside a giant staroak tree.
* ''Legendary Lives''. Elven communities live inside the hollowed-out trunks of giant trees.
* ''TabletopGame/TheDragonTreeSpellBook''. The fifth level spell Willamon's Wood Works causes trees to form hollows inside themselves that can act as rooms, furnishings and stairs.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', the Great Deku Tree has an inn inside his "belly."

* The Wolfriders in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' live in a "Father Tree" that's subdivided into several homes. Fully justified because their tree-shapers can keep a tree alive and well while sculpting it into the required shape.

* Many of the characters in ''ComicStrip/{{Pogo}}'' live inside hollowed out trees.

* As the names imply, the rival kingdoms of [=GreatTree=] and [=GreatLog=] in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters2'' are entire kingdoms (well, they're more like large towns) built into the trunks of enormous trees seemingly floating in endless seas.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' The Kids Next Door have their HomeBase in a tree; they all have regular houses to go back to but they spend all day there anyway.

* In ''Hair made of Starlight'', an ArabianNightsDays-esque adaptation of Literature/{{Rapunzel}}, the heroine Saffron lives at the top of a giant tree in a desert instead of a tower in the forest.

This usually leads to a lot of FridgeLogic if one starts to seriously think about it. How is the tree alive and green if it's been hollowed out? (While dead trees are an option, they are usually shown as green and vibrant.) [[BiggerOnTheInside How can you fit an entire two-bedroom apartment on the inside of a tree?]] How are there windows in the upper leaves that should logically only have the thin ends of branches behind them? Don't expect any of these questions to be answered.[[note]]The first question can easily be answered by any arborist: only the thin layer of cells between the tree's trunk and bark is actually alive. Whether what's left inside the hollowed-out trunk is [[ArtisticLicensePhysics sturdy enough to support the rest of the tree]] or large enough to contain the depicted dwelling is another matter.[[/note]]

* The eleventh installment of the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' focuses on a location called the Dire Tree, which is this trope taken UpToEleven - an entire ''kingdom'' is inside the hollow tree.

** Quite a lot of the Minish in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'' live in trees.

* The residents of Fortree City in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' live in tree houses that are connected to each other via wooden bridges.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': Kuchipatchi and his family reside in a house fashioned from a big tree. The building has a hot spring at the top, since Patchi Forest (where the house is located) is known for hot springs.

*** During the first three seasons, Twilight Sparkle lives in a tree with room not only for living quarters but for an entire library. It's a fairly classic example, with habitable space throughout its height and numerous windows poking through the canopy. [[spoiler:It's destroyed in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part II]]'', prompting her to move into a castle made of crystal instead, though even that looks somewhat treelike and [[ItMakesSenseInContext came from a tree]].]]

If you can play through one of those in a video game, then it's a TreeTrunkTour as well. See also MushroomHouse, TreeTopTown and TreehouseOfFun.