Trees can transform a wargaming table. Done right, a treeline signals threat, marks a flank, or breaks line of sight in a way that changes the game entirely. Done wrong, trees that are obviously the wrong size or out of place pull you out of the moment. This guide covers the three decisions that matter most when choosing trees for your terrain: getting scale right, choosing your material, and thinking about density.

Getting Scale Right

The average British tree stands around 65 feet tall in real life. That's nearly 20 metres. When you're scaling that down to miniature, height matters more than most people expect.

At 10mm, your figures sit at roughly 1:161 scale. The closest standard is N gauge. For 10mm wargaming terrain, the N gauge range is your starting point, with trees running from around 30mm up to 150mm. A 55mm tree represents approximately 29 feet, a 105mm tree around 55 feet. A mix of those heights gives a convincing woodland without any single tree dominating the scene.

At 15mm, the ratio is similar and the N gauge range again provides a solid foundation, though slightly larger trees can work well for mature forest.

At 28mm and 30mm, the scale jumps considerably. Trees in the 120mm to 150mm range begin to feel appropriately sized, with larger specimens working well as centrepiece terrain or dominant single trees.

The thing to avoid is mixing trees from different scale bands on the same table. One significantly oversized tree breaks the illusion for the whole board.

TMTS has a dedicated wargaming section organised by figure scale (10mm, 15mm, 20/25mm and 28/30mm), with trees recommended for each, which takes the guesswork out of size matching.

Plastic or Twisted Wire?

Both plastic and twisted wire trees work well for wargaming terrain. The right choice depends on how you build and how much your terrain travels.

Plastic trees are robust and straightforward. They come with their own root system built in. Installation is simple: push them into your foam or terrain base, disguise the roots with static grass or scatter, and you're done. They hold up well to the repeated packing and unpacking that comes with club nights and gaming days, which is a genuine practical advantage.

Twisted wire trees are handcrafted, which gives them a more naturalistic branch structure and a distinct aesthetic quality. Each comes with a spigot, so you'll drill a small hole to plant them. They're a step up in detail and a step up in care. For display terrain or permanent setups, twisted wire trees reward that extra effort. For terrain that moves around frequently, factor in how you'll handle them.

Neither is definitively better than the other. It comes down to your build style, your patience for installation, and whether the terrain is staying put or travelling.

Density and Terrain Type

How you group your trees makes as much difference as which trees you choose.

For dense forest that forces route planning and hides movement, plant trees close together with little visible base between them. A mix of heights adds depth and stops the canopy looking artificial.

For lighter woodland that allows passage but still breaks line of sight, more spacing and greater variation in height works better.

For skirmish games where individual trees count as distinct terrain features, planting two or three trees on a shared base looks more intentional than a single isolated tree and reads more clearly at table distance.

For objective markers or focal points, a larger specimen tree on its own, or a tight cluster of three, stands out without overcrowding the board.

Scatter material around the base of each tree ties it into the surrounding terrain and grounds it visually. Static grass, coarse scatter, or a mix of both all work well.

Browse the Range

Whether you're building a dense wood for a historical game, an open scrubland for skirmish, or a fantasy forest for tabletop adventure, the wargaming section at themodeltreeshop.co.uk organises the range by figure scale so you can browse straight to what fits your system.

Shop the wargaming terrain range at themodeltreeshop.co.uk