We prove that the $\mathfrak{S}$-module $\operatorname{PreLie}$ is a free Lie algebra in the category of $\mathfrak{S}$-modules and can therefore be written as the composition of the $\mathfrak{S}$-module $\operatorname{Lie}$ with a new $\mathfrak{S}$-module $X$. This implies that free pre-Lie algebras in the category of vector spaces, when considered as Lie algebras, are free on generators that can be described using $X$. Furthermore, we define a natural filtration on the $\mathfrak{S}$-module $X$. We also obtain a relationship between $X$ and the $\mathfrak{S}$-module coming from the anticyclic structure of the $\operatorname{PreLie}$ operad.

Certain canonical resolutions are described for free associative and free Lie algebras in the category of non-associative algebras. These resolutions derive in both cases from geometric objects, which in turn reflect the combinatorics of suitable collections of leaf-labeled trees.