Your Crimson Queen Japanese maple is on a seasonal path determined by both its physiology and the micro-environment it is growing in. In the Willamette Valley in April, there are dozens of maple varieties just breaking bud, and others in full leaf expansion. Some maples are flowering, and some trees of the same variety are showing no signs of life. It’s too early to say that your tree is dying just because the buds are not expanding yet, but it’s always worth following its phenology closely. If you have other reasons to think the tree is dying, try a scratch test. Underneath the dry outer layer of bark, a healthy tree will have a green cambium layer – on a dead tree it is brown and dry. Scrape away a little of the bark with a fingernail or penknife to see whether you have healthy tissue underneath. A stressed tree may have sacrificed some branches over the course of a dry summer, so test multiple areas to understand how the tree is developing. Prune out any dead wood you find to keep the canopy open and healthy. Here are some notes on watering and mulching as part of the long-term care routine for a healthy tree.