Merge pull request #65 from lufftw/review/pattern-tree

review(tree): Pattern quality review - Tier 2 assessment

Author: lufftw

docs/patterns/tree/templates.md

@@ -816,8 +816,6 @@ Result: 42 (path: 15→20→7)
 
 ---
 
----
-
 ## 8. Pattern Comparison
 
 ### 8.1 DFS vs BFS for Trees
@@ -877,8 +875,6 @@ def path_property(node):
 
 ---
 
----
-
 ## 9. Decision Framework
 
 ### 9.1 Quick Reference Decision Tree
@@ -952,8 +948,6 @@ What should recursion return?
 
 ---
 
----
-
 ## 10. Code Templates Summary
 
 ### 10.1 Template 1: DFS Traversal (Inorder)

docs/reviews/pattern-review-log.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ This log records all pattern review findings, decisions, and resolutions. Each r
 | string_dp | Pending | - | - | Queued |
 | string_matching | Pending | - | - | Queued |
 | topological_sort | Pending | - | - | Queued |
-| tree | Pending | - | - | Queued |
+| tree | Tier 2 | 2025-01-07 | 0/0/1/0 | Reviewed |
 | tree_dp | Pending | - | - | Queued |
 | trie | Pending | - | - | Queued |
 | union_find | Pending | - | - | Queued |
@@ -435,4 +435,63 @@ END TEMPLATE
 
 ---
 
+## Tree Review - 2025-01-07
+
+### Files Reviewed
+- `docs/patterns/tree/templates.md` (1063 lines)
+- `docs/patterns/tree/intuition.md` (332 lines)
+
+### Reference Standards
+- Gold Standard: `sliding_window/templates.md`
+- Ontology Entries: `TreeTraversalDFS`, `TreeTraversalBFS` from `ontology/api_kernels.toml`
+
+### Findings
+
+#### [TR-001]: Duplicate Section Separators
+
+| Field | Value |
+|-------|-------|
+| **Category** | Engineering |
+| **Severity** | Minor |
+| **Location** | `docs/patterns/tree/templates.md:818-819, 878-879, 953-955` |
+| **Issue** | Double `---` separators appear between sections 7-8, 8-9, and 9-10, creating visual inconsistency. |
+| **Why It Matters** | Cosmetic issue affecting document consistency. Does not impact functionality. |
+| **Decision** | Fix |
+| **Resolution** | Remove duplicate separators. |
+
+### Positive Observations (Not Issues)
+
+| Aspect | Assessment |
+|--------|------------|
+| **API Kernel Header** | ✅ Two kernels: `TreeTraversalDFS`, `TreeTraversalBFS` |
+| **Core Invariants** | ✅ Explicit for each traversal order (pre/in/post) |
+| **Pattern Variants** | ✅ 4 variants: Basic DFS, Property Computation, Path Problems, Level-Order |
+| **Code Templates Summary** | ✅ Correctly placed at Section 10 (end) with 7 templates |
+| **Decision Framework** | ✅ ASCII decision tree (Section 9) |
+| **Return vs Update Pattern** | ✅ Well explained for diameter/path problems |
+| **Recursive Patterns** | ✅ 3 common patterns clearly documented |
+| **Iterative Versions** | ✅ Both recursive and iterative for each traversal |
+| **Intuition Quality** | ✅ "Trees decompose recursively" mental model |
+| **Common Pitfalls** | ✅ 4 pitfalls: height vs depth, base cases, negative values, stack overflow |
+| **Practice Progression** | ✅ Level 1-4 problem sequence |
+
+### Summary
+
+| Category | Critical | Major | Minor | Nit | Total |
+|----------|----------|-------|-------|-----|-------|
+| Concept | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+| Explanation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+| Engineering | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
+| **Total** | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | **1** |
+
+### Tier Assessment
+- **Previous Tier**: Pending
+- **New Tier**: Tier 2 (Silver)
+- **Rationale**: Comprehensive coverage of tree traversal patterns. The "Return vs Update" pattern for path problems is particularly well explained. Excellent intuition.md with mental models and common pitfalls. Minor cosmetic issue with duplicate separators.
+
+### Action Items
+- [x] Fix duplicate section separators
+
+---
+
 *Pattern Review Log - NeetCode Practice Framework*