dead tree supporting live branch from another tree?

[rebelman]

I had a strange situation happen to me the other day that has only come up two or three times in my career. I was removing a dead elm, smallish forty feet tall total, but spread over a patio and air conditioner, etc. Topping off one side I noticed an abnormally long hackberry branch was supported by the elm. With a sixteen foot pole saw I cut some three inch branches away, noticed the hackberry branch drop a a foot, then after a few minutes, down the long green branch came, ripping and hanging in the hackberry. Luckily my ground man wasn't hurt, and no property damage resulted. I had a miscellaneous charge figured into the bid, so trimming the Hackberry(there was a rotten crack on the backside I hadn't seen) didn't hurt the money. But it could have been much worse. I was wondering if anybody had any similar stories, and what resulted; in particular the liabilty aspect.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

All growth is reactive: Trees are as lazy as people; and will only grow muscles to support extreme leverages if they have to! You removed a crutch that tree had groan used to relying on; it could just as well been another Hackberry branch, building, stop sign etc.

In taking down the Elm; you could have also maid a pivotal change; one that placed increased wind loading on Hackberry; while at the same time decreasing support. Thus each action compounded the other. Like if you moved the pivot on a seesaw towards one end; this would take leverage away from 1 end and give it to the other; in a single; very powerful, minimal move. Thus, a 'pivotal change'