I have a very large maple that has been in the process of dying for years. It's looking especially bad this year -- too many stresses all at once. I had an estimate on its removal, about 4 years ago. $4000! I'm NOT looking forward to it.

I lost a Japanese maple in the spring -- that one was killed by the frost, not by the drought. Sigh.

On my death watch list are two dogwoods and one crab apple that were near the end of their lifespans anyway. A new and depressing "watch" is a mature hemlock.

I live in natural woods and have lost a few large hickory trees. A few oaks that are too close to the house to take the risk, with the problems they have now, should be taken down for safety's sake. My dogwoods look pitiful but are still clinging to life (barely). Many more hickories, oaks and various other deciduous trees thru the woods may not make it in the long run. I used to consider viburnums to be my most reliable trouble-free shrubs, but they haven't held out against the abuse heaped on them this year (with the exception of the snowball).

I'm surprised to see a mature hemlock mentioned! I have one (10-12 yrs old) that looks just fine with no watering.

Remember after the Easter freeze, the experts were saying to wait and see... the trees might bounce back? They sure gave it a good try but who would have thought this heat and drought would follow? Scary.

The wooly adelgid has been identified in several cemetaries in Knoxville. There is a row of about 25-30 dead hemlocks on Sutherland Ave. I predict that the next few years may see half or more of all the hemlocks in Knox Co dead:(

It's a really bad thing happening out there. Three days ago I saw a neighbor's huge tulip poplar is now mostly yellow leaved...all at once.
Today one of the forty feet tall big old oaks on our back fence line is abandoning parts of its upper story. Suddenly brown.
Lots of limbs down, leaves dieing after the limbs are down.
Lots of ponds dry, some for the first since we've been here (15 years).
The strange thing is being able to see into the woods. So many of the understory plants are either dropping leaves or their leaves are so wilted as to not obstruct the view.
And the rain that made the Knoxville airport green in August didn't hit us. 0.2" of rain since July 31.
We're going to have a lot of firewood for many winters to come.