any chance of pictures?

Beyond that, don't fertilize any tree that's under stress.

Red (fall color) during the growing season often indicates short of water. The rootzone may be dry even though you've had "plenty of rain." Have you checked the moisture content by putting a trowel in the soil?

Thank you for your response. The leaves are falling and the tree is mostly bare. Is that unusual for Sasafrass trees to drop their leaves in Sept? The amount of rain in NJ this year is far over the average. Hurricane Irene dropped 15 to 20 inches in 24 hours. We checked the rootzone around the tree. The dirt seems to be moist. It is somewhat sandy. It is the facal point of our pool area and is surrounded by weed matting and medium stone. The stone area is approx. 8ft. radius around tree. On the outside of the stoned area, we have the pool filter and pump. There is approx. 6ft from the filter to the tree. Thank you for your help.