Note that a point is a tree, and a pair of points is a forest. Thus with the given definition the circle $S^1$ is a two-tree. (In fact, any finite graph is a two-tree with the given definition.) Thus all surfaces are three-trees, and more generally all $n$-manifolds are $(n+1)$-trees. The given examples strongly suggest that this is not the desired outcome. Perhaps the following definition is closer to what you want. 1. The *zero-tree* is the one-point space. 2. A connected topological space $X$ is an *$(n+1)$-tree* if for any pair of distinct points $x, y \in X$ there is an $n$-tree $Y \subset X - \{x, y\}$ separating $x$ from $y$.