While tree contraction algorithms play an important role in e#cient tree computation in parallel, it is di#cult to develop such algorithms due to the strict conditions imposed on contracting operators. In this paper, we propose a systematic method of deriving e#cient tree contraction algorithms from recursive functions on trees in any shape. We identify a general recursive form that can be parallelized to obtain e#cient tree contraction algorithms, and present a derivation strategy for transforming general recursive functions to parallelizable form. We illustrate our approach by deriving a novel parallel algorithm for the maximum connected-set sum problem on arbitrary trees, the tree-version of the famous maximum segment sum problem.