diff --git a/dotscape b/dotscape
index 400f36c..5ffccb1 100755
Binary files a/dotscape and b/dotscape differ
diff --git a/dotscape.mlb b/dotscape.mlb
index 0ed4285..72e621b 100644
--- a/dotscape.mlb
+++ b/dotscape.mlb
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 $(SML_LIB)/basis/basis.mlb
 
 (* FUNCTIONAL CORE *)
+fcore/layer-tree.sml
 fcore/app-type.sml
 
 ann
diff --git a/fcore/layer-tree.sml b/fcore/layer-tree.sml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a1c229
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fcore/layer-tree.sml
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+structure LayerTree =
+struct
+  type square = {r: int, g: int, b: int, a: int}
+  type grid = square vector vector
+
+  fun isBlank ({a, ...}: square) = a = 0
+
+  datatype tree =
+    NODE of {key: int, value: grid, left: tree, right: tree}
+  | LEAF
+
+  fun insert (newKey, newValue, tree) =
+    case tree of
+      LEAF => NODE {key = newKey, value = newValue, left = LEAF, right = LEAF}
+    | NODE {key, value, left, right} =>
+        if newKey < key then
+          let val left = insert (newKey, newValue, left)
+          in NODE {key = key, value = value, left = left, right = right}
+          end
+        else if newKey > key then
+          let val right = insert (newKey, newValue, right)
+          in NODE {key = key, value = value, left = left, right = right}
+          end
+        else
+          NODE {key = key, value = newValue, left = left, right = right}
+
+  fun get (searchKey, tree) =
+    case tree of
+      LEAF => NONE
+    | NODE {key, value, left, right} =>
+        if searchKey < key then get (searchKey, left)
+        else if searchKey > key then get (searchKey, right)
+        else SOME value
+
+  (* copies non-blank pixels in value vector into acc *)
+  fun helpFlatten (value, acc) =
+    Vector.mapi
+      (fn (xIdx, valueYAxis) =>
+         Vector.mapi
+           (fn (yIdx, valuePixel) =>
+              if isBlank valuePixel then
+                let val accYAxis = Vector.sub (acc, xIdx)
+                in Vector.sub (accYAxis, yIdx)
+                end
+              else
+                valuePixel) valueYAxis) value
+
+  fun flatten (tree, acc) =
+    case tree of
+      LEAF => acc
+    | NODE {value, left, right, ...} =>
+        let
+          val acc = flatten (left, acc)
+          val acc = helpFlatten (value, acc)
+        in
+          flatten (right, acc)
+        end
+end