Joshua, the direct, wiseguy answer to the question is 'no'. The issues relating to a too-deep planting manifest slowly, just as you suspect, and lead to serious decay problems at the base of the trunk. You're exactly right.

But then you go on to say this tree may have been planted 8 years ago, so now we're suddenly not talking about an immediate impact. Personally, even 8 years seems almost too rapid for the too-deep thing to have caused this tree's demise. And there should be outward, visible signs if that were so. Are there any lesions, cankers, etc. visible at this time?

Otherwise, I'm thinking that was not the cause.

+oM

How quickly does your soil drain? If it drains quickly, maybe digging out the root flare would help? Water would pool, but the pool wouldn't stay long. Particularly if you put a drainage pipe or ditch or something in. Dig a ditch from around the trunk down the hill?

As far as what caused this...any chance the tree got hit with road salt this year? I know we got a lot of snow...if snow drifts got thrown farther then usual the tree trunk could have been surrounded by wet salty slush. Was weed killer used on the lawn?

There may not be an easy explanation for it. Our city has planted a lot of red maples as street trees over the last 10-12 years and it seems like darn near a majority of them are defoliated to some extent. The planters seem to do a respectable job from what I have seen.

A problem here may be red maples not being super tolerant of street salts. Not sure if you are in a cold area, but the salting and snow plowing really have a negative effect on the soil between the street and sidewalk. Although, your grass in that area looks pretty darn good.

For whatever reason, I couldn't see the pics earlier. Now that I can, there does indeed appear to be some trunk damage, albeit not severe. Much of what I'm seeing could be simple mower blight, ie. mowing equipment is being run up against the trunk, causing damage in a very critical area. But again, it is not extensive nor severe.

The deicing salts referenced above are certainly detrimental to all plant life, and in multiple ways. But the grass is green, there's not seeming to be wholesale soil "death" via the structure-collapsing ability of the sodium molecules in these salts. The very serious pulling of moisture out of a plants roots when in the presence of salty soils may be going on-I can't tell-but if it is, it is not an extreme case. Hmmmm...?

+oM

I think everyone is overthinking it. It's probably just the fact that most peoples' past winter was harsher than most, maybe it just had some die back, like many trees.

Joshua, I'd like to answer your question directly: yes, trees can die suddenly. They can also die very soon after being planted too deeply. I'd have to say that it is the number one reason for decline and death in trees, at least in my career.

Some years ago, I was called out to the large property of a high end retail complex, not a mall. The tree and landscaping installations were extensive, even extraordinary. I was called by the CEO to inspect the site about two months after completion of the job.

The majority of the large trees were in serious trouble....after two months! The plants had all been planted anywhere from 6 to 8 inches below grade into a soil that stayed too mucky, too wet....especially at that depth. Tree roots must have oxygen at that shallow root zone...or they can die.

Most of us know that the essential absorbing roots of trees are shallow. Planting too deeply impedes the development of new roots.

So, the decline process can begin immediately and end swiftly......or a tree can languish for years before finally croaking.

Trees that have been installed that deeply have been planted improperly, plain and simple.

Buried root flare = slow death. But, holy cow, when it happens, it can happen FAST!

Lost a magnificent japanese maple this way — ten glorious years of growth, then one not-so-glorious… the next year, it died within a week. Started with one tiny ’crispy’ looking branch of leaves. Next day, a few more branches. By the end of the week, it was toast. Lost a gorgeous ($$$) tree and more than a DECADE.

Since then, I’ve been trying to spread the word. Sadly, nurseries are making things worse by piling on the soil: Customers have no idea that they’re burying the root flare — the all-important part that NEEDS AIR — and that their new tree is doomed.