Green Ash dormancy?

[jvevos]

Living in N. Colorado is a tough place to cultivate trees of any kind given the hard clay soils and cold snaps common every Spring. The tree in question is, I believe a Green Ash ( 4-5" trunk) that has been in an apparent dormant state since last Spring ('04)---it had buds that were just beginning to break open, then suddenly stopped during several cold days. Later in the summer the tree attempted to restart with some new buds, but stopped. It remains bare but limber and is green just under the bark yet this Spring. I'm mystified. Thanks for any info, Joe Evanoski.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Last time I saw this happen, the tree then died. It stayed green under the bark for about a year and a half with no leaves.
When we dug it out there was still a plastic wrap around the ball and in 4 or 5 years not one root made it out. There was also a nylon rope tied securely around the trunk.
Dig carefully down and expose the root flare, check the top of the root ball to see what the roots are doing. Clay soils can create a watertight bowl, which holds water like crazy. This can cause root problems.
Just my guesses.