diff --git a/pkg/services/tree/heap/ordered_slice.go b/pkg/services/tree/heap/ordered_slice.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6752bb685
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/services/tree/heap/ordered_slice.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package heap
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"sort"
+
+	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-node/pkg/local_object_storage/pilorama"
+)
+
+type OrderedSlice struct {
+	nodes  []pilorama.NodeInfo
+	sorted bool
+}
+
+func NewOrderedSlice() *OrderedSlice {
+	return new(OrderedSlice)
+}
+
+func (s *OrderedSlice) Insert(infos ...pilorama.NodeInfo) {
+	s.sorted = false
+	s.nodes = append(s.nodes, infos...)
+}
+
+func (s *OrderedSlice) IsEmpty() bool {
+	return len(s.nodes) == 0
+}
+
+func (s *OrderedSlice) ExtractMin() pilorama.NodeInfo {
+	if !s.sorted {
+		sortByFilename(s.nodes)
+		s.sorted = true
+	}
+
+	node := s.nodes[0]
+	s.nodes = s.nodes[1:]
+	return node
+}
+
+func sortByFilename(nodes []pilorama.NodeInfo) {
+	if len(nodes) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	less := func(i, j int) bool {
+		return bytes.Compare(nodes[i].Meta.GetAttr(pilorama.AttributeFilename), nodes[j].Meta.GetAttr(pilorama.AttributeFilename)) < 0
+	}
+	sort.Slice(nodes, less)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/services/tree/heap/unordered_slice.go b/pkg/services/tree/heap/unordered_slice.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..300216537
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/services/tree/heap/unordered_slice.go
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package heap
+
+import (
+	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-node/pkg/local_object_storage/pilorama"
+)
+
+type UnorderedSlice []pilorama.NodeInfo
+
+func NewUnorderedSlice() *UnorderedSlice {
+	return &UnorderedSlice{}
+}
+
+func (s *UnorderedSlice) Insert(infos ...pilorama.NodeInfo) {
+	*s = append(*s, infos...)
+}
+
+func (s *UnorderedSlice) IsEmpty() bool {
+	return len(*s) == 0
+}
+
+func (s *UnorderedSlice) ExtractMin() pilorama.NodeInfo {
+	node := (*s)[0]
+	*s = (*s)[1:]
+	return node
+}
diff --git a/pkg/services/tree/service.go b/pkg/services/tree/service.go
index 59b01796e..b11459822 100644
--- a/pkg/services/tree/service.go
+++ b/pkg/services/tree/service.go
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-node/pkg/local_object_storage/pilorama"
+	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-node/pkg/services/tree/heap"
 	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-node/pkg/util/logger"
 	"git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-sdk-go/container/acl"
 	cidSDK "git.frostfs.info/TrueCloudLab/frostfs-sdk-go/container/id"
@@ -440,29 +440,48 @@ func (s *Service) GetSubTree(req *GetSubTreeRequest, srv TreeService_GetSubTreeS
 	return getSubTree(srv.Context(), srv, cid, b, s.forest)
 }
 
+type Heap interface {
+	Insert(...pilorama.NodeInfo)
+	IsEmpty() bool
+	ExtractMin() pilorama.NodeInfo
+}
+
+func makeHeap(ordered bool) Heap {
+	if ordered {
+		return heap.NewOrderedSlice()
+	}
+	return heap.NewUnorderedSlice()
+}
+
 func getSubTree(ctx context.Context, srv TreeService_GetSubTreeServer, cid cidSDK.ID, b *GetSubTreeRequest_Body, forest pilorama.Forest) error {
+	ordered, err := needOrder(b.GetOrderBy().GetDirection())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	// Traverse the tree in a DFS manner. Because we need to support arbitrary depth,
 	// recursive implementation is not suitable here, so we maintain explicit stack.
 	m, p, err := forest.TreeGetMeta(ctx, cid, b.GetTreeId(), b.GetRootId())
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	stack := [][]pilorama.NodeInfo{{{
+
+	stack := []Heap{makeHeap(ordered)}
+	stack[0].Insert(pilorama.NodeInfo{
 		ID:       b.GetRootId(),
 		Meta:     m,
 		ParentID: p,
-	}}}
+	})
 
 	for {
 		if len(stack) == 0 {
 			break
-		} else if len(stack[len(stack)-1]) == 0 {
+		} else if stack[len(stack)-1].IsEmpty() {
 			stack = stack[:len(stack)-1]
 			continue
 		}
 
-		node := stack[len(stack)-1][0]
-		stack[len(stack)-1] = stack[len(stack)-1][1:]
+		node := stack[len(stack)-1].ExtractMin()
 
 		err = srv.Send(&GetSubTreeResponse{
 			Body: &GetSubTreeResponse_Body{
@@ -481,33 +500,24 @@ func getSubTree(ctx context.Context, srv TreeService_GetSubTreeServer, cid cidSD
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			children, err = sortByFilename(children, b.GetOrderBy().GetDirection())
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
 			if len(children) != 0 {
-				stack = append(stack, children)
+				h := makeHeap(ordered)
+				h.Insert(children...)
+				stack = append(stack, h)
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func sortByFilename(nodes []pilorama.NodeInfo, d GetSubTreeRequest_Body_Order_Direction) ([]pilorama.NodeInfo, error) {
+func needOrder(d GetSubTreeRequest_Body_Order_Direction) (bool, error) {
 	switch d {
 	case GetSubTreeRequest_Body_Order_None:
-		return nodes, nil
+		return false, nil
 	case GetSubTreeRequest_Body_Order_Asc:
-		if len(nodes) == 0 {
-			return nodes, nil
-		}
-		less := func(i, j int) bool {
-			return bytes.Compare(nodes[i].Meta.GetAttr(pilorama.AttributeFilename), nodes[j].Meta.GetAttr(pilorama.AttributeFilename)) < 0
-		}
-		sort.Slice(nodes, less)
-		return nodes, nil
+		return true, nil
 	default:
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported order direction: %s", d.String())
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("unsupported order direction: %s", d.String())
 	}
 }