Tree-contact single-phase-to-ground fault (TSF) may ignite trees and cause fire, threatening the life and property of people. However, the fault characteristics of TSF are weak and difficult to identify, so it is urgent to further study the fault mechanism and characteristics. In this paper, TSF is constructed based on 10 kV analog circuit experiment platform. The experimental results show that the development process of TSF can be roughly divided into four stages. Fault point current waveform has different characteristics in different stages. The transition resistance and the changing rate of transition resistance of TSF gradually decreases with the development of fault. The length, thickness and species of the tree are all able to affect the magnitude and the changing rate of the transition resistance of TSF.