Leon, Thanks. That's a good thought that never occurred to me. Thanks
for getting me thinking along the "poisoning" lines. Zocor just about
poisoned my father-in-law to death recently, you'd think the thought of
poisons would be closer at hand. Anyway, I have used Roundup around
the beds, but I've been careful not to spray any foliage and I've not
used it during windy conditions. The mulch bed around this tree gets
Roundup, but that stuff is supposed to be working above ground,
becoming ineffective upon contact with the soil. I haven't used and
kind of weed b gone near that tree. I usually put some pre-emergent on
the adjacent lawn, but I doubt that would have any effect.

All,
One thing I did notice was something sort of funky (maybe fungus) at
the base of the tree, when I scraped away the mulch:
http://personal.bellsouth.net/d/r/dr...0-4075_IMG.JPG ,
http://personal.bellsouth.net/d/r/dr...0-4077_IMG.JPG .

The little I know about trees suggests anything that affects the area
just under the bark is serious, since that's where the flow of water
and nutrients happens. And it looks like that black stuff is not what
a happy tree would have. That black stuff is on the uphill side of the
tree, covering about 1/3 of the circumference.

I'll keep the mulch away from the base of the tree from now on, but I
wonder if this is something that needs treatment, or if it will recover
on its own.

--Dale--