Question
I have a Cork Screw Willow in my backyard in San Francisco, CA.
All of the leaves fell off as winter set in and now here at the end
of March I see no new shoots or Leaves emerging. I am
concerned for it's health. The trunk which is crooked and doesn't
stand straight cracked two years ago was mended with some
sort of back tar and equipped with a crutch. I have read that
these trees don't have a long life span, I am not sure of it's age.
It stands about 30-35 feet tall. Any thoughts would be helpful

Answer
To tell if the tree is still alive start at the end of a branch and scrape a little of the bark off and if under the bark is green then it is still alive at that point. If the color is brown or not green then the branch is dead at that point--follow down, the branch scraping off a little bark until you see green the dead part can be pruned off. If you find no green color then the tree is dead. If the alive tree is having problems with breaking limbs due to the weight then I would suggest you prune back some of the limbs. But first determine if the tree is still alive.