Dear Karolyn,

Thank you for contacting the Douglas County Extension. We understand how distressing it can be to watch your trees go into decline despite your best efforts at caring for them. Rest assured, we're here to help!

Since we can't come out there to inspect the trees in person, please provide as much detailed information via descriptions and photographs as you can - the more we know, the more focused our diagnosis and management recommendations can be.

For example, please provide: 
1) your address (or at least the street name &  town you're in)

2) additional photos: full view (ground to tip) of each affected tree, close-ups of an affected area or two for each tree - including close-ups of any insects or insect damage you might see along the trunk/bark/branches/needles, an image of all the trees together if in a group or images of any adjacent vegetation or structures

3) information on the location of each of the affected trees - e.g. are they on the N/S/W/E area of your property? Are they sheltered from wind or exposed? are they near a sidewalk, drive or roadway? Are they near other vegetation that isn't thriving or possibly in an area where a neighbor's overspray of herbicide might drift over towards your trees? etc.

4) information on when the decline started, how it first appeared, how rapidly it's been progressing, and what specific measures have your tree service taken? Also, are they certified arborists, or a landscape service?

5) details of how much water the trees get and by what means? (e.g. manual watering, drip irrigation, sprinkler system, only rain/snow melt, etc.)

6) a description of the type of mulch around the trees and if any herbicides have been used near them (or upwind of them)
We appreciate your efforts at providing as much information as possible, as all of it together will give us a better chance of narrow down a diagnosis and identifying successful treatment measure(s).

Thanks in advance, and we look forward to hearing from you.