The terminal leader died. Not a rare occurrence.

In time a dominate side shoot will take over and replace the dead one.

Dave

impossible to tell w/o a pic ... or more history ...

recent transplant.. all kinds of problems...

established trees ... i swear the greckles and the robins hate me.. and using the highest perch .. destroy the buds ...

after next years flush ... i try to remember to reduce to the strongest...

i used to get anal on removal.. ASAP and all that .... and usually ended up breaking off fresh growth that wasnt hardened off enough ...

just remember.. you dont have to get in there and make an absolutely perfect prune .... if the option is breaking off the prime one... so what if there is a little stub left ...

this can all get tricky when the tree is 8 feet taller than your ladder .. and involves the need for a pole pruner...

pix if you want more help

ken