Bad Soil?

[nathanmayberry]

Last year, an azalea bush mysteriously died in our front yard island. A young Japanese maple tree in the same spot started sprouting fungus on the trunk, and the branches are dying. ,We don't know if bad soil is the issue, and what to do before planting another tree. Any suggestions?

 

[Raintree]

I would suspect a girdling root below the soil line on the Jap maple. Can't speak for the azalea. Fungus is decay not pathogenic.