diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/private/tree-metadata.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/private/tree-metadata.ts
index bd529eb6be8d0..3d16481dff65f 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/private/tree-metadata.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/private/tree-metadata.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import fs = require('fs');
 import path = require('path');
 
 import { ArtifactType } from '@aws-cdk/cx-api';
-import { Construct, IConstruct, ISynthesisSession } from '../construct';
+import { CfnResource, Construct, IConstruct, ISynthesisSession } from '../index';
 
 const FILE_PATH = 'tree.json';
 
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@ export class TreeMetadata extends Construct {
 
     const visit = (construct: IConstruct): Node => {
       const children = construct.node.children.map(visit);
+      const childrenMap = children.reduce((map, child) => Object.assign(map, { [child.id]: child }), {});
       const node: Node = {
         id: construct.node.id || 'App',
         path: construct.node.path,
-        children: children.length === 0 ? undefined : children,
+        type: this.inferType(construct),
+        properties: this.inferProperties(construct),
+        children: children.length === 0 ? undefined : childrenMap,
       };
 
       lookup[node.path] = node;
@@ -49,10 +52,33 @@ export class TreeMetadata extends Construct {
       }
     });
   }
+
+  private inferType(construct: IConstruct): Type | undefined {
+    if (CfnResource.isCfnResource(construct)) {
+      return {
+        cfnResourceType: (construct as CfnResource).cfnResourceType
+      };
+    }
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  private inferProperties(construct: IConstruct): { [key: string]: any } | undefined {
+    if (CfnResource.isCfnResource(construct)) {
+      return (construct as any).cfnProperties;
+    } else {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 interface Node {
   id: string;
   path: string;
-  children?: Node[];
+  type?: Type;
+  properties?: { [key: string]: any };
+  children?: { [key: string]: Node };
+}
+
+interface Type {
+  cfnResourceType?: string;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/private/test.tree-metadata.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/private/test.tree-metadata.ts
index 6b3c5b407b28c..1696fea9c2190 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/private/test.tree-metadata.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/private/test.tree-metadata.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,13 @@
 import fs = require('fs');
 import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
 import path = require('path');
-import { App, Construct, Resource, Stack } from '../../lib/index';
+import { App, CfnResource, Construct, Stack } from '../../lib/index';
 
 export = {
-  'tree metadata is generated as expected'(test: Test) {
+  'tree metadata for stacks and simple constructs'(test: Test) {
     const app = new App();
-
     const stack = new Stack(app, 'mystack');
-    new Construct(stack, 'group1');
-    const group2 = new Construct(stack, 'group2');
-
-    new MyResource(group2, 'resource3');
+    new Construct(stack, 'myconstruct');
 
     const assembly = app.synth();
     const treeArtifact = assembly.tree();
@@ -22,41 +18,91 @@ export = {
       tree: {
         id: 'App',
         path: '',
-        children: [
-          {
+        children: {
+          Tree: {
             id: 'Tree',
-            path: 'Tree'
+            path: 'Tree',
           },
-          {
+          mystack: {
             id: 'mystack',
             path: 'mystack',
-            children: [
-              {
-                id: 'group1',
-                path: 'mystack/group1'
-              },
-              {
-                id: 'group2',
-                path: 'mystack/group2',
-                children: [
-                  { id: 'resource3', path: 'mystack/group2/resource3' }
-                ]
+            children: {
+              myconstruct: {
+                id: 'myconstruct',
+                path: 'mystack/myconstruct',
               }
-            ]
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    test.done();
+  },
+
+  'tree metadata for Cfn* resources'(test: Test) {
+    class MyCfnResource extends CfnResource {
+      constructor(scope: Construct, id: string) {
+        super(scope, id, {
+          type: 'CDK::UnitTest::MyCfnResource',
+        });
+      }
+
+      protected get cfnProperties(): { [key: string]: any }  {
+        return {
+            mystringpropkey: 'mystringpropval',
+            mylistpropkey: [ 'listitem1' ],
+            mystructpropkey: {
+              myboolpropkey: true,
+              mynumpropkey: 50,
+            }
+        };
+      }
+    }
+
+    const app = new App();
+    const stack = new Stack(app, 'mystack');
+    new MyCfnResource(stack, 'mycfnresource');
+
+    const assembly = app.synth();
+    const treeArtifact = assembly.tree();
+    test.ok(treeArtifact);
+
+    test.deepEqual(readJson(assembly.directory, treeArtifact!.file), {
+      version: 'tree-0.1',
+      tree: {
+        id: 'App',
+        path: '',
+        children: {
+          Tree: {
+            id: 'Tree',
+            path: 'Tree',
           },
-        ]
+          mystack: {
+            id: 'mystack',
+            path: 'mystack',
+            children: {
+              mycfnresource: {
+                id: 'mycfnresource',
+                path: 'mystack/mycfnresource',
+                type: { cfnResourceType: 'CDK::UnitTest::MyCfnResource' },
+                properties: {
+                  mystringpropkey: 'mystringpropval',
+                  mylistpropkey: [ 'listitem1' ],
+                  mystructpropkey: {
+                    myboolpropkey: true,
+                    mynumpropkey: 50,
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
       }
     });
     test.done();
   },
 };
 
-class MyResource extends Resource {
-  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string) {
-    super(scope, id);
-  }
-}
-
 function readJson(outdir: string, file: string) {
   return JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(outdir, file), 'utf-8'));
 }
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/test.synthesis.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/test.synthesis.ts
index ef4563b597c29..5780f31c83fed 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/test.synthesis.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/test.synthesis.ts
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@ export = {
       tree: {
         id: 'App',
         path: '',
-        children: [
-          { id: 'Tree', path: 'Tree' }
-        ]
+        children: {
+          Tree: { id: 'Tree', path: 'Tree' }
+        }
       }
     });
     test.done();