diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadNode.java b/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadNode.java
index 434340e65..44936a8cd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadNode.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadNode.java
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public class QuadNode<T>
 	
 	
 	/** @return the number of non-null child nodes */
-	public int childCount() 
+	public int getChildCount() 
 	{
 		int count = 0;
 		for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
@@ -68,6 +68,21 @@ public class QuadNode<T>
 		return count;
 	}
 	
+	/** returns the number of children that have non-null values */
+	public int getChildValueCount()
+	{
+		int count = 0;
+		for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
+		{
+			QuadNode<T> child = this.getChildByIndex(i);
+			if (child != null && child.value != null)
+			{
+				count++;
+			}
+		}
+		return count;
+	}
+	
 	
 	
 	/**
@@ -241,7 +256,8 @@ public class QuadNode<T>
 			for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
 			{
 				DhSectionPos childPos = this.sectionPos.getChildByIndex(i);
-				callback.accept(this.getChildByIndex(i), childPos);
+				QuadNode<T> childNode = this.getChildByIndex(i);
+				callback.accept(childNode, childPos);
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -252,7 +268,7 @@ public class QuadNode<T>
 	 */
 	public void forAllLeafValues(Consumer<? super T> callback)
 	{
-		if (this.childCount() == 0 || this.sectionPos.sectionDetailLevel == this.minimumDetailLevel)
+		if (this.getChildCount() == 0 || this.sectionPos.sectionDetailLevel == this.minimumDetailLevel)
 		{
 			// base case, bottom leaf node found
 			callback.accept(this.value);
@@ -312,6 +328,6 @@ public class QuadNode<T>
 	
 	
 	@Override
-	public String toString() { return "pos: "+this.sectionPos+", value: "+this.value; }
+	public String toString() { return "pos: "+this.sectionPos+", children #: "+this.getChildCount()+", value: "+this.value; }
 	
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadTree.java b/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadTree.java
index b6fe256ed..2b407d70b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadTree.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/seibel/lod/core/util/objects/quadTree/QuadTree.java
@@ -153,6 +153,26 @@ public class QuadTree<T>
 	}
 	
 	
+	public int getNonNullChildCountAtPos(DhSectionPos pos) { return this.getChildCountAtPos(pos, false); }
+	public int getChildCountAtPos(DhSectionPos pos, boolean includeNullValues)
+	{
+		int childCount = 0;
+		for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
+		{
+			DhSectionPos childPos = pos.getChildByIndex(i);
+			if (this.isSectionPosInBounds(childPos))
+			{
+				T value = this.get(childPos);
+				if (includeNullValues || value != null)
+				{
+					childCount++;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		
+		return childCount;
+	}
+	
 	
 	/** no nulls TODO comment/rename */
 	public void forEachRootNode(Consumer<QuadNode<T>> consumer)
@@ -254,4 +274,7 @@ public class QuadTree<T>
 //		return sb.toString();
 //	}
 	
+	@Override
+	public String toString() { return "center block: "+this.centerBlockPos+", block width: "+this.widthInBlocks+", detail level range: ["+this.treeMinDetailLevel+"-"+this.treeMaxDetailLevel+"], leaf #: "+this.leafNodeCount(); }
+	
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/tests/QuadTreeTest.java b/core/src/test/java/tests/QuadTreeTest.java
index 4feff37f0..03899b6dc 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/tests/QuadTreeTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/tests/QuadTreeTest.java
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ public class QuadTreeTest
 		QuadNode<Integer> rootNode = new QuadNode<>(new DhSectionPos((byte)10, 0, 0), (byte)0);
 		rootNode.forEachDirectChild((child, childPos) ->
 		{
-			rootNode.setValue(childPos, 1, null);
+			rootNode.setValue(childPos, 1);
 		});
 		Assert.assertEquals("node not filled", rootNode.getChildValueCount(), 4);
 		
@@ -543,6 +543,18 @@ public class QuadTreeTest
 		
 	}
 	
+	// this is here for quickly testing the toString method, it should never fail
+	@Test
+	public void toStringTest()
+	{
+		QuadTree<Integer> tree = new QuadTree<>(ROOT_NODE_WIDTH_IN_BLOCKS, new DhBlockPos2D(0, 0), (byte)6);
+		
+		String treeString = tree.toString();
+		Assert.assertNotNull(treeString);
+		Assert.assertNotEquals("", treeString);
+		
+	}
+