We moved into a new space recently and are just starting to see what everything is and make our own improvements this spring, but this guy's not looking so hot. Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks in advance.

It is an Ash tree and you are right, its not looking too good. Is it getting enough water? That's about all I can suggest.

I'm having trouble seeing if the leaves are opposite or alternate. If they're alternate it's not an ash. If they're opposite and it is an ash, apparently New Mexico is in danger of being next on the list for the emerald ash borer, according to what I was just reading.

Sooby, look at the top branches in the first photo.

If I look at the smaller branches, the leaf scars look alternate.

Sooby, I added a third pic. Does that help? Yes, we recently installed sod below the tree, so it should be getting plenty of water. Thanks to both of you.

Thanks for the extra pic. I think it is a black walnut based on that. Was the sod laid right up to the trunk, and were the roots disturbed in the process of preparation for sodding?

maybe the tree needs a deep soak. Sprinkler might only be keeping the sod wet.

sooby said:Thanks for the extra pic. I think it is a black walnut based on that. Was the sod laid right up to the trunk, and were the roots disturbed in the process of preparation for sodding?

It doesn't look anything like the Black Walnut I got in my yard. (Yes, I got up to go look.)

sallyg said:maybe the tree needs a deep soak. Sprinkler might only be keeping the sod wet.

That sounds like a really great idea. Christee, just make sure you soak the ground really good, and then don't water it again for at least a week to make sure that the roots dry out before the next watering.

christee42 said:We moved into a new space recently and are just starting to see what everything is and make our own improvements this spring, but this guy's not looking so hot. Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks in advance.

The deep soak is a really good idea, but you might want to verify what that tree is, sounds like its an Ash tree from the other members here, then check if there are any plant diseases affecting that tree in your area and make sure its a tree that is right for your hardiness zone.

If anything, this is a walnut tree perhaps as opposed to an ash tree.
Our eastern ashes, green and white, typically have 7-9 leaflets with seven being average.
Our Black Walnut here in the east can have 13-17 leaflets on a single compound leaf. I am seeing roughly 13 in the upper right corner of that one image. For me that makes it a walnut rather then an ash. Now whether or not western ashes and walnuts follow the same leaflet count, I don't know.
A few deep waterings perhaps a week or ten days apart might help along with the insertion of a few 'fertilizer spikes' in the soil underneath the crown might help perk it up a bit.

You guys rock!

It has the terminal leaflet being either missing or smaller than the other leaflets, from what I can see in the limited pictures, which is typical of black walnut. If the leaves are alternate rather than opposite, at the very least it cannot be an ash because ashes have opposite leaves.