In summary, @berkeman and the speaker have observed that the branches on the south side of their oak and maple tree are more numerous and open earlier than on the northern side. They have also noticed dead branches, similar to those described in the article, on the oak tree due to weather conditions. The speaker mentions "cladoptosis", a form of self-pruning, but notes that there is limited information on the subject on Wikipedia.
I notice on our oak and maple tree that the branches are more numerous on the south side, and the buds open earlier than on the northern side. Certainly, we see a lot of dead branches, similar to that described in the article, on the oak tree.
We also have had some tree damage due to winds, heavy rainfall and early or late wet snow or ice.