Also pertinent to wind resistance is whether or not the tree is deciduous, the shape of the leaves' margin, the texture of bark and how they interact as a group in forests.

Another aspect that explains why the vascular explanation is not enough is the resistance of the trunk in supporting the wood's weight. Also important here is the roots' structure.

When I imagine a situation where wind resistance is fundamental, I think of palm trees being subject to seasonal tropical storms, and these look nothing like the diagram in the article.

Underwater, where vascularization and weight are not as important to many branching structures like corals or algae, there is still the problem of resistance against a moving fluid. But the branching/girth/length/angle rules seem to be different.

So I'm still with team "branching optimized for sun/air exposure and constrained by vascularization, weight and root structure".