Q: The silver maples in my front yard were put in 23 years ago when my house was built. One appears to be quite a bit less healthy than the others, and it’s losing its bark.

Last year, about half the tree on the top didn’t even get leaves – don’t know if it was due to this situation or if the drought may have been a factor.

A: My observation is that some of the roots on the sickly side of the tree got banged up by a lawnmower, leading to root rot on that side.

That would explain why only one side of the tree is affected. The damaged bark tells me that there is rot inside the trunk. And since the tree has a definite lean, it could fall at any time.

I’d hire an arborist pronto to take the tree down. Find an arborist at www.georgiaarborist.org