diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
index 9c09e0f91e8..ce64d6c0c10 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ public function beforeSave(Model $Model, $options = array()) {
 					'fields' => array($Model->primaryKey, $parent, $left, $right), 'recursive' => $recursive)
 				);
 
-				if ($values === false) {
+				if (empty($values)) {
 					return false;
 				}
 				list($node) = array_values($values);