diff --git a/lib/node.cpp b/lib/node.cpp
index 6d80492e5a549b8b035ffc8877d23d52236c60e9..23f2b9bcbe5cd51eb55415b444207d5b6a68800c 100644
--- a/lib/node.cpp
+++ b/lib/node.cpp
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Node::Node() {
 }
  */
 
-Node::Node(Node* parent, double* masses, double* particles, unsigned nParticles, unsigned depth, double size, double center[3], unsigned* localParticles, unsigned nLocalParticles) {
+Node::Node(Node* root, Node* parent, double* masses, double* particles, unsigned nParticles, unsigned depth, double size, double center[3], unsigned* localParticles, unsigned nLocalParticles) {
     parent_ = parent;
     particles_ = particles;
     nParticles_ = nParticles;
diff --git a/lib/node.hpp b/lib/node.hpp
index 9150a8e7ec1a5bc8600a790963aafc0ee95bc240..0905c7458ea1e015aa0b87ef3bcf8034f8ccf5b8 100644
--- a/lib/node.hpp
+++ b/lib/node.hpp
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ public:
     Node() = default;
     // whoever creates the node is responsible for deciding which particles are in which octant and for allocating the localParticles array 
     // node will write to localParticles array
-    Node(Node* parent, double* masses, double* particles, unsigned nParticles, unsigned depth, double size, double center[3], unsigned* localParticles, unsigned nLocalParticles);
+    Node(Node* root, Node* parent, double* masses, double* particles, unsigned nParticles, unsigned depth, double size, double center[3], unsigned* localParticles, unsigned nLocalParticles);
     // destuctor
     ~Node();
     // copy constructor
diff --git a/lib/tree.cpp b/lib/tree.cpp
index 22f0d38d6876b0ad54dcc4ddaf6277f1c7c36b90..61ccfa1e7d1bb049cef1cf5247b54225629b00be 100644
--- a/lib/tree.cpp
+++ b/lib/tree.cpp
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Tree::Tree(double* masses, double* particles, double* forces, unsigned nParticle
     for (unsigned i=0; i < nParticles_; ++i) localParticles_[i] = i;
     
     root_ = new Node();
-    *root_ = Node(root_, masses_, particles_, nParticles_, 0, size_, center_, localParticles_, nParticles_);
+    *root_ = Node(root_, root_, masses_, particles_, nParticles_, 0, size_, center_, localParticles_, nParticles_);
 }
 
 Tree::~Tree() {