What version of the adapter kit are you using? We just released beta 3. If you haven't upgraded, I suggest you do because there are a lot of TreeView fixes in beta 3 compared to 2.
Also, are you experiencing the slowness using FireFox to view the sample TreeView page that comes with the kit, http://www.asp.net/cssadpaters/treeview.aspx? If that sample is running well for you on all browsers then you might want to start comparing what you are doing versus what is being done in the sample.
I've not seen or heard of this performance problem before. I'm suspicious that you are running into something cause by something that is unique in your use of CSS, JavaScript, etc. That's why I want to confirm that you are (or are NOT) seeing the problem with FireFox with the TreeView sample page. If it is working quickly for you, then you can begin to try to spot what you are doing differently in the page that is slow.
Russ Helfand
Groovybits.com