It was impossible not to enjoy the view almost as much as the tree. But the tree told a STORY. The windswept look is something familiar to many people who spend time near the coast - the prevailing winds can affect the direction of trunk growth. Storm winds push on tree crowns, and cause root plates to rock. Trees then respond to the structural stress, and reactive growth is the result. Otherwise, the forces will eventually result in structural failure. The gnarled trunk on this tree speaks of reactive growth, and the lost upward limb on the left side tells the tale of structural failure. But there is much more to the story than simple wind force. Gravity is a constant downward force that all trees must contend with, but when that tree has the additional stress of ice or water loading, the sudden addition of weight can affect the application of gravity resulting in failure. On average, Maine trees are exposed to 25 or more days of significant icing per year, plus 20 days of thunderstorm activity, AND 4 wind events exceeding 50 mph per year! That is a tremendous amount of stress for a tree. In fact, ice accumulation can amount to 20-50 times the dry weight of branches and twigs - additionally making them stiff, increasing resistance to the wind, and decreasing the ability of the crown to reconfigure with the force - resulting in structural failure.