Sick Eucalyptus

I was asked to save this eucalyptus. It has a lot of dead leaves; oddly, it's the inner leaves dying, the tips are healthy. First thing I noticed was the multiple stakes and ties to keep it from leaning. It seems to be leaning mainly because it grew that way to get out from under the shade of the maple directly behind it. Did a bit of digging around the trunk and found no root flare in the first six inches and some soft spots on the trunk just below the mulch.

I'm going to recommend removal of the stakes and ties; they're doing nothing to support the tree. Removal of dead limbs and cutting back the top to reduce end weight. Also, pruning of the maple to allow the euc to regrow in a more upright direction. Finally, a root crown excavation to look for girdling roots and to remove some of the excess soil.

Dieback of inner foliage can sometimes be a sign of over watering. Definitely need to do a root crown excavation there it looks like.