--- a/toolkit/content/widgets/tree.xml
+++ b/toolkit/content/widgets/tree.xml
@@ -87,16 +87,21 @@
       <property name="inputField" readonly="true">
         <getter><![CDATA[
           if (!this._inputField)
             this._inputField = document.getAnonymousElementByAttribute(this, "anonid", "input");
           return this._inputField;
         ]]></getter>
       </property>
 
+     <property name="disableKeyNavigation"
+                onget="return this.hasAttribute('disableKeyNavigation');"
+                onset="if (val) this.setAttribute('disableKeyNavigation', 'true');
+                       else this.removeAttribute('disableKeyNavigation'); return val;"/>
+
       <field name="_editingRow">-1</field>
       <field name="_editingColumn">null</field>
 
       <property name="editingRow" readonly="true"
                 onget="return this._editingRow;"/>
       <property name="editingColumn" readonly="true"
                 onget="return this._editingColumn;"/>
 
@@ -859,17 +864,17 @@
 
          if (event.charCode == " ".charCodeAt(0)) {
            var c = this.currentIndex;
            if (!this.view.selection.isSelected(c) ||
                (!this.view.selection.single && event.getModifierState("Accel"))) {
              this.view.selection.toggleSelect(c);
              event.preventDefault();
            }
-         } else if (event.charCode > 0 &&
+         } else if (!this.disableKeyNavigation && event.charCode > 0 &&
                     !event.altKey && !event.getModifierState("Accel") &&
                     !event.metaKey && !event.ctrlKey) {
            var l = this._keyNavigate(event);
            if (l >= 0) {
              this.view.selection.timedSelect(l, this._selectDelay);
              this.treeBoxObject.ensureRowIsVisible(l);
            }
            event.preventDefault();