What causes there's a big broken branch hung up in my tree?
Storm loading beyond what the branch union could carry. The usual mechanics are a limb with included bark at the union splitting out, a long horizontal limb overloaded by wind or by accumulated ice and wet snow, a dead limb that was already brittle finally letting go, or the receiving end of a failure higher up the tree. Codominant stems — two trunks of similar diameter meeting in a tight V — fail this way routinely. Open-grown yard trees catch far more wind on individual limbs than trees standing in a group do, which is why yards produce hangers that woodlots do not.
What you'd see
A branch broken but not down, caught in the limbs below it, often hanging vertically with its leaves pointing the wrong way. A pale torn face where it separated, and sometimes a long strip of bark peeled down the trunk from the break point. Leaves on that branch wilting or browning while the rest of the tree stays green. It may shift slightly in wind, or drop a few inches at a time over several days.
Related
- There's a big broken branch hung up in my tree — what should I do?→
- Is there's a big broken branch hung up in my tree an emergency?→
- Can there's a big broken branch hung up in my tree be fixed without removing the tree?→
- How long can I leave there's a big broken branch hung up in my tree before it becomes dangerous?→
- How much does it cost to deal with there's a big broken branch hung up in my tree?→
- The bark is falling off my tree — what should I do?→
- Is the bark is falling off my tree an emergency?→
- Can the bark is falling off my tree be fixed without removing the tree?→