diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 2640753267..e2778fd6a8 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -3752,6 +3752,9 @@ void Application::domainChanged(const QString& domainHostname) {
     _voxelServerJurisdictions.clear();
     _octreeServerSceneStats.clear();
     _particleServerJurisdictions.clear();
+    
+    // reset the particle renderer
+    _particles.clear();
 
     // reset our persist thread
     qDebug() << "Domain changed to" << domainHostname << ". Swapping persist cache.";
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/Octree.h b/libraries/octree/src/Octree.h
index 878b3ea439..959c9272cf 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/Octree.h
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/Octree.h
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ public:
     ~Octree();
 
     /// Your tree class must implement this to create the correct element type
-    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) const = 0;
+    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) = 0;
 
     // These methods will allow the OctreeServer to send your tree inbound edit packets of your
     // own definition. Implement these to allow your octree based server to support editing
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeElement.h b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeElement.h
index 969b49f303..240bd10f98 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeElement.h
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeElement.h
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ protected:
     // can only be constructed by derived implementation
     OctreeElement();
 
-    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) const = 0;
+    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) = 0;
     
 public:
     virtual void init(unsigned char * octalCode); /// Your subclass must call init on construction.
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.cpp b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.cpp
index 63cef54c7d..7bbeb065d6 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.cpp
@@ -132,3 +132,12 @@ void OctreeRenderer::render() {
         _tree->unlock();
     }
 }
+
+void OctreeRenderer::clear() { 
+    if (_tree) {
+        _tree->lockForWrite();
+        _tree->eraseAllOctreeElements(); 
+        _tree->unlock();
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
index a29e21462c..f321ed2e3e 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ public:
 
     static bool renderOperation(OctreeElement* element, void* extraData);
 
+    /// clears the tree
+    void clear();
 protected:
     Octree* _tree;
     QUuid _dataSourceUUID;
diff --git a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.cpp b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.cpp
index 73e8dd6711..cd59e0e3a7 100644
--- a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.cpp
+++ b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.cpp
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@
 
 ParticleTree::ParticleTree(bool shouldReaverage) : Octree(shouldReaverage) {
     ParticleTreeElement* rootNode = createNewElement();
-    rootNode->setTree(this);
     _rootNode = rootNode;
 }
 
-ParticleTreeElement* ParticleTree::createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode) const {
+ParticleTreeElement* ParticleTree::createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode) {
     ParticleTreeElement* newElement = new ParticleTreeElement(octalCode);
+    newElement->setTree(this);
     return newElement;
 }
 
diff --git a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.h b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.h
index 33e5d5fe75..2b7efbbe78 100644
--- a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.h
+++ b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTree.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ public:
     ParticleTree(bool shouldReaverage = false);
 
     /// Implements our type specific root element factory
-    virtual ParticleTreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) const;
+    virtual ParticleTreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL);
 
     /// Type safe version of getRoot()
     ParticleTreeElement* getRoot() { return (ParticleTreeElement*)_rootNode; }
diff --git a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.cpp b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.cpp
index 7994909004..f767b56a49 100644
--- a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.cpp
+++ b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ ParticleTreeElement::~ParticleTreeElement() {
 // own type to our own tree. This means we should initialize that child with any tree and type
 // specific settings that our children must have. One example is out VoxelSystem, which
 // we know must match ours.
-OctreeElement* ParticleTreeElement::createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode) const {
+OctreeElement* ParticleTreeElement::createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode) {
     ParticleTreeElement* newChild = new ParticleTreeElement(octalCode);
     newChild->setTree(_myTree);
     return newChild;
diff --git a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.h b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.h
index 8493d59bb8..6d76594b53 100644
--- a/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.h
+++ b/libraries/particles/src/ParticleTreeElement.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class ParticleTreeElement : public OctreeElement {
 
     ParticleTreeElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL);
 
-    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL) const;
+    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL);
 
 public:
     virtual ~ParticleTreeElement();
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
index e55cc119ee..1a1f810661 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ VoxelTree::VoxelTree(bool shouldReaverage) : Octree(shouldReaverage) {
     _rootNode = createNewElement();
 }
 
-VoxelTreeElement* VoxelTree::createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode) const {
+VoxelTreeElement* VoxelTree::createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode) {
     VoxelSystem* voxelSystem = NULL;
     if (_rootNode) {
         voxelSystem = ((VoxelTreeElement*)_rootNode)->getVoxelSystem();
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.h b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.h
index c48a3185a6..c30bc82aa8 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.h
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTree.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public:
 
     VoxelTree(bool shouldReaverage = false);
 
-    virtual VoxelTreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL) const;
+    virtual VoxelTreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char * octalCode = NULL);
     VoxelTreeElement* getRoot() { return (VoxelTreeElement*)_rootNode; }
 
     void deleteVoxelAt(float x, float y, float z, float s);
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.cpp b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.cpp
index 557d401311..c98ed77b74 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ VoxelTreeElement::~VoxelTreeElement() {
 // own type to our own tree. This means we should initialize that child with any tree and type
 // specific settings that our children must have. One example is out VoxelSystem, which
 // we know must match ours.
-OctreeElement* VoxelTreeElement::createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode) const {
+OctreeElement* VoxelTreeElement::createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode) {
     VoxelTreeElement* newChild = new VoxelTreeElement(octalCode);
     newChild->setVoxelSystem(getVoxelSystem()); // our child is always part of our voxel system NULL ok
     return newChild;
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.h b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.h
index 1eee7e4a5b..86732f4b66 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.h
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelTreeElement.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class VoxelTreeElement : public OctreeElement {
     
     VoxelTreeElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL);
 
-    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL) const;
+    virtual OctreeElement* createNewElement(unsigned char* octalCode = NULL);
     
 public:
     virtual ~VoxelTreeElement();