diff --git a/app/packages/core/src/plugins/SchemaIO/components/TreeSelectionView.tsx b/app/packages/core/src/plugins/SchemaIO/components/TreeSelectionView.tsx
index 7b7d6420fd..0679d6e97e 100644
--- a/app/packages/core/src/plugins/SchemaIO/components/TreeSelectionView.tsx
+++ b/app/packages/core/src/plugins/SchemaIO/components/TreeSelectionView.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import ExpandMoreIcon from "@mui/icons-material/ExpandMore";
 import { Box, Checkbox, FormControlLabel, IconButton } from "@mui/material";
 import React, { useEffect } from "react";
 import { ViewPropsType } from "../utils/types";
+import { useUnboundState } from "@fiftyone/state";
 
 interface CheckedState {
   [key: string]: {
@@ -70,6 +71,8 @@ export default function TreeSelectionView(props: ViewPropsType) {
   const [checkedState, setCheckedState] =
     React.useState<CheckedState>(initialCheckedState);
 
+  const unboundState = useUnboundState(checkedState);
+
   // Initialize collapsed state for all parents
   const initialCollapsedState: CollapsedState = React.useMemo(() => {
     const state: CollapsedState = {};
@@ -192,6 +195,16 @@ export default function TreeSelectionView(props: ViewPropsType) {
     return idx === -1 ? 0 : idx + 1;
   };
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const sampleIds = view?.data.flatMap(([parentId, children]) => {
+      return children.map((childId) =>
+        typeof childId === "string" ? childId : childId[0]
+      );
+    });
+    onChange(path, sampleIds);
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, []);
+
   // CheckboxView: Represents a single checkbox (either parent or child)
   function CheckboxView({
     id,
diff --git a/fiftyone/operators/types.py b/fiftyone/operators/types.py
index 4559e477e3..6294eb6ed9 100644
--- a/fiftyone/operators/types.py
+++ b/fiftyone/operators/types.py
@@ -610,18 +610,16 @@ def tuple(self, name, *items, **kwargs):
         self.define_property(name, tuple_type, view=tuple_view, **kwargs)
         return tuple_type
 
-    def tree(self, name, *items, **kwargs):
+    def tree(self, name, **kwargs):
         """Defines a tree property on the object.
-
         Args:
             name: the name of the property
-            *items: the types of the items in the tree
 
         Returns:
             a :class:`Tree`
         """
         tree_selection_view = TreeSelectionView(**kwargs)
-        tree_type = Object(*items)
+        tree_type = List(String())
         self.define_property(
             name, tree_type, view=tree_selection_view, **kwargs
         )