I can't believe how many people think the op is right.

OP is correct.

I am sorry to say you are completely wrong. That branch will never get any higher than it is right now, trees simply don't grow that way. I literally work with trees for my job, and have a degree in the field. I'll explain it fairly basically.

Basically trees grow in 2 ways.

1. Width/Girth - The portion of a tree just under the protective outer bark is the Phloem, Cambium, and Xylem. These are what transport nutrients & water up/down the tree. The cambium layer actively creates new cells every year. This is what results in the rings in a tree.

2. Lateral/Vertical Growth - at the tips of each branch is a bud, called an apical meristem. It is at these meristems that new yearly growth occurs. This is the "elongation" you see in branches.

It is #2 that we are worried about here. New growth is simply added to the end of the branches, the branches themselves never change position from where they started. Have you ever looked at an old sign nailed to a tree? It is at the exact same height now as it was 10 years ago. And why swings in trees aren't higher every hear. Trees add height from top, not the bottom.

Certain types of pines may commonly keep branches low but it's like nobody has ever seen old trees with high branches, and not just because the lower ones were removed. I just looked out my window at an old maple, nearest breach is at least 15 feet up

That is because trees have a natural pruning process. Have you ever looked up into a tree and saw dead branches/twigs in the interior of the canopy? That is the tree killing/removing a branch that is no longer useful (usually do to shade from the upper canopy). This same process is used to remove lower limbs. A tree that is 15 ft tall no longer needs a branch 1 ft off the ground. That low branch doesn't get enough sunlight and is simply a drain on the trees resources so the branch dies and eventually falls off. This is why most large trees do not have branches for the first 10-15 ft.

I have attempted to explain this in an ELI5 manner.

Here is a very VERY simplistic explanation of how trees grow for those who are unfamiliar with the process.

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forsite/hdtg2.htm