Most retail nurseries around here offer a one year replacement policy. If the tree you purchased from them dies in one year, they will replace it free. However, this is a pretty secure bet as most trees take longer than that to fully die.
BlueRidgeMark makes a point. And this is why so much information about trees is either misinterpreted, misapplied or ignored.
Trees do not respond quickly to very many things. Very few pathogens are instantly lethal. Or abiotic disorders for that matter.
We took down an ash tree where the cause of death was determined to be the riding lawnmower of the homeowner...took him 13 years to kill it, but he managed.
The important aspect to remember with trees is that they are an investment in the future. Most trees have life spans well beyond that of us mere humans. Presumably you are planting a tree that you want to stay around long after the time you have departed. There are cultural practices that have been determined to enhance both health and longevity. They will vary, to a certain degree, species to species and site to site.
Burying a tree too deep does not kill it outright...on some species they can live for decades this way. But they will not thrive as well as a tree of their kind planted correctly. And some species dwindle very quickly. So we recommend to plant correctly.
Same with mulch. Depending on the type of mulch, the humidity and ground moisture of the environment, volcano mulching will go from having little ill effects to dramatically damaging effects. In none of the scenarios I can bring to mind, would this type of mulching enhance a tree's health and survival.
Sylvia