Is my tree dying? What university pages and ISA say the signs may indicate

This page reports what the named sources say. It cannot say whether a particular tree is dying. The ISA brochure says a tree showing the signs it lists should be examined by an ISA Certified Arborist. The guide on whether a tree is safe covers risk, which is a different question from health.

Dead, dormant or struggling

The LSU AgCenter article Still Waiting for Leaves?, dated May 21, 2025, describes a scratch test: a small section of bark on a twig or stem is scratched away, and green, moist tissue beneath is read as living while dry, brown tissue means that section may be dead. It says to start near the base of the plant, because the lower trunk and roots may be viable when the top growth is not. It describes a snap test, where live wood bends and dead wood snaps cleanly. It says peeling bark, deep cracks or fungal growth often indicate serious decline, and that late freezes, drought and transplant shock can all delay growth.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension's Caswell County Center page Is My Tree Dying??, dated November 15, 2022, describes the same two tests, with a year-old twig bent to 90 degrees for the snap test. It says the most common causes in late summer are related to drought or heat, that it may take several years for a large tree to die from insects, disease or drought, and that when roots are cut by grading a tree may take up to five years to die. The two extension pages differ in tone. LSU says fungal growth often indicates decline. North Carolina says fungus or horizontal cracks are clear signs of a dead tree.

Signs after building work

The Tennessee Tech University page Examples of Tree Decline Due to Construction Activities says the first response to construction damage is generally dieback at the tips of the outer branches, then dieback back toward the trunk as decline progresses, and then the growth of many new branches in the canopy and on the trunk and base, which it calls epicormic growth. The site's pages on epicormic shoots and trees and construction go further.

What ISA lists for owners to notice

The ISA brochure on recognizing tree risk includes in its checklist whether leaves have developed an unusual yellow colour or seem smaller, whether mushrooms are present at the base of or under the tree, whether the area has been altered by construction, changes in soil level, or new lawn or pavement, and whether the tree has been topped. It is written about risk, not health, and it says a trained arborist is the one to examine a tree showing these signs.

Where each sign is explained

Sign owners notice	Read more
Dead or hanging branches	See the page on dead branches and hangers
Mushrooms or brackets at the base	See the guide to decay fungi
Cracks in the trunk	See the page on cracks
Leaves browning or dropping early	See the page on leaf scorch
Dry-year stress	See the page on drought stress
Insects, wilts and cankers	See the guide to pests and diseases

Who to call

ISA Find an Arborist: finding and verifying individuals who hold an ISA credential
National pest reporting pages: reporting suspected tree pests in the United States
Is this tree safe?: risk, who assesses it and the UK exception for dangerous trees