Edro - You asked how you can tell if it's distressed or diseased. Diseased is just a later stage of distressed. So you want to try to eliminate the stresses (there's always more than one before you start seeing symptoms of distress). 1) Is the distressed foliage localized in parts of the tree (indicates a living source like insects, fungus or bacteria) or uniformly throughout the tree (indicating a non-live source like injury, water availability, girdling roots, etc.) 2) Another way to tell is to take some branch and root samples to your local County Extension for lab testing or ask them if there is a university plant pathology lab where you can get them tested, usually about $40. 3) Another way is to have a tree service company that has an air spade to safely blow the dirt out (or a vacuum that sucks the dirt out) so you can see the shape of the roots. Ideally they would be in a star pattern radiating out from the trunk, unimpeded. If they are twisted, diving, girdling around the trunk from being root pot-bound at the original nursery or farm, then you know it's the roots causing lack of water and nutrients getting to the tree and you might as well remove it. This is what I'm suspecting. 4) You could get a soil test done at a local private or university lab to see if there are major nutrients deficient in the soil, but I sorta doubt this with the other trees doing well.

dmwbee, I am not techie enough to embed links, so I copied and pasted the beginning of this GW thread from the conifers forum in January of this year. If you do a search for Recommend a conifer? on the search box above you should find the complete thread. There are some good recommendations there. I'm a relative newbie with trees but I will tell you I haven't done well with fall evergreen plantings. I really think they do better here planted in early spring, before the candles start growing. Take some time to find the right tree for a spring planting. Let us know what you pick and good luck! Barb Recommend a conifer? Posted by mooseling Zone 5 CO (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 7:19 I have a spot where I'd like to put a conifer, but I'm not sure what kind to get. It will likely need to be a smaller variety, as the spot is fairly close to the house. I'd like something that doesn't grow out very wide, either. Or something that you could easily prune without it looking bad since it's going to be close to the driveway. I'd prefer something a little less common - I get sick of looking at the same old trees everywhere, but at the same time, it can't be so rare I won't be able to find it. And most importantly, it needs to be able to grow in zone 5. If anyone has any ideas of species/cultivars, please let me know. Hopefully I can find a nice conifer to put in this spring. Thank you Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Recommend a conifer? * Posted by dcsteg 5b (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 11:36 Keep in mind conifers grow till they die. You can selectively prune a wayward branch out of the plant to control appearance but shearing or heavy pruning is something you want to avoid. This will in time destroy the natural balance of the specimen. Conifers that have a pendulous, compressa or a fastigiate nature are the ones you should be looking for. Go to the ACS web site. Click on Coniferbase and do a search. I could name 15-20 off the top but you are going to have to look them up yourself to decide what is most desirable for you and appropriate for the planting site. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: ACS o RE: Recommend a conifer? * Posted by dcsteg 5b (My Page) on Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 13:26 Another great resource for conifer photos is the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: UBC

Thank you so much to all who commented. I am in Minnesota. It was actually a fairly mild winter, but I think maybe during the coldest days, there may not have been much snow-cover for insulation of the plant. Sorry, I can't remember the exact type of evergreen... Should I cut the discolored limbs off?

i simply told you how i would do it on a valued plant ... in other words .. i wouldnt spend 20 bucks on product on a plant i can replace for 10 ... eh??? when i buy a $100 conifer.. and scale shows up ... i am going to save it.. period ... its worth the further cost .... as to whether you want to use it.. feel free to google up alternatives ... though i am positive you will find millions of tree and bug huggers telling you its not a good option ... and i say pshaw to them .... if i lose 3 worms or bugs ... to save that valuable plant.. so be it ... there are bazillions of them around ... hort oil is an organic alternative ... but the application regime.. was beyond my patience .... you have to spray when the invisible crawlers come out from under the dead momma ... good luck with that ... lol ... i was never there.. the day that spray was required ... ken