It is possible that drift caused the top to die off but winter burn or summer burn looks more likely. Yews are happy in part to full shade and in moist but not wet soil. Your yew is probably getting reflexed heat and light on two sides, is growing in grass, a strong competitor for water and next to a brick pathway that is also stopping water from travelling to the tree.
Below is information about things to consider when yews are damaged answered previously by another expert.


There are several factors that can cause damage such as you are seeing on your shrubs. Since you say they have been there a long time, I think we can rule out improper planting technique and probably inappropriate soil (pH, mineral content, etc). However, if there has been recent digging in the area, roots could have been cut and if you added soil over the roots (especially over 2" deep), you could have decreased the oxygen available to the roots.

Winter damage can cause browning of branches. I don't know what side of the house these plants are on, but desiccating winds and repeated freeze/thaw can cause damage to shrubs. This will usually occur on the west or north side of the bushes. The damage seems to be too high to be related to dog urine issues.

Yews are fairly pest-free, but weevils and scale insects are both known to feed on yews and can cause significant dieback if the tree is stressed. The first link below shows pictures of the insects that cause the damage.

Yews are typically fairly disease free, but they can develop phytophthora root rot, causing dieback of the roots and therefore loss of greenery. This is usually caused by "wet feet", which shouldn't have happened for the first time in 60 years unless the drainage was changed.

Have you used herbicide near the shrubs? Herbicide spray can drift to unwanted foliage and damage branches or get carried to roots and cause dieback making the plant unable to support its canopy.

If the pictures were taken early in the spring, the tips might still come back. Check carefully for new growth before removing them completely. If, however, the entire branch is dead, it will need to be pruned out. If the underlying cause of the problem can be determined, the plant may survive long-term. Yews are pretty hardy.

This is an excellent fact sheet to help diagnose Yew problems.
ID-52: What's Wrong With My Taxus? (uky.edu)

This is a short paper, mostly describing winter damage to Yews, including that caused by deicing salts.
Common Problems on Yews | Horticulture and Home Pest News (iastate.edu)