We will explore how researchers from ecology, forestry and arboriculture have utilized biomechanics to understand how trees contend with the forces mother nature can throw at them during their long-life span. Biomechanics approaches integrate biology and engineering principles to explore how organisms deal with their environment. We will explore two studies that examine how loads move through a branch union/fork. A close relationship was found between aspect ratio and different failure types, and we will discuss how this information can help define the point at which a weaker co-dominant fork occurs.