Question
Dear Larry
Thank you so much for your prompt reply.  It is pouring with rain as we speak and I'm watching my trees drown.  Unfortunately, being on the back side of a berm next to the street, there is no way to drain water out of here, so I'll need to work on the soil as you reccommended.  A few more questions, once I see the browning, does this mean the tree is a gonner? Is the entire root ball drowned? Is death inevitable from that point on?  Is there anything I can do while the trees are still planted and living, such as ammending the soil behind or in front of them since I can't uproot them to help the soil underneath? When I have to replace a tree, can I just work in a lot of compost into the spot?  can I do this tree by tree? (they're planted a few feet apart) Would it help if I built up a bed along the fence?  How deep do the roots grow?  Thanks again for your help.  This keeps me awake at night...
Sincerely
Janice Graham

Answer
Hello Again
arborvites are shallow rooted and can be easily moved if not to big.  raise them up, or another thing you can do is dig a trench in front of them at the base of the hill to redirect the water away from them that may help. compost should be used as an additive not as the general makeup of the soil just add a little at planting time, and from time to time through the years to fortify the soil. if over 30% of the tree is brown then it would be hard for it to recover and if it shows signs of recovery it would take a long time to be right again. better to replace it. Good Luck  Larry  ;-)