Hi, Stumper. Thanks for the reply. Let me give you an idea about the specifics of my trees. They are distributed on 2 1/2 acres of heavy clay soil. The average height would be about 40 to 50 feet. They are Water Oaks and sweet gum, and one is a 35 foot Pin Oak. Although this year has seen more normal rainfall, the last 3 or 4 years has been drought conditions. We've only lived here the last year and a half. I've tried to water some, but really I can't afford to water the whole yard. I plan to start a mulching program, but sofar I've only done a couple of trees. I guess the average dead sections are about 5 to 10 %. What do you think? Thanks for the help, Charles.