Could my Willow Oak be dead? Help!?

Question

We planted a willow oak in the spring it is approx. 9ft tall. The nursery planted it. It is now August and we have had a run of 100C degree days. After that we had several days of rain lots of rain and a cool down. The leaves on the tree started to turn, as if in fall before it rained in the heat. After the rainy days the leaves have fallen. Not many other trees in the area have trees turning let alone have lost their leaves. Many are still green. I don't know if Willow Oak's are the first to turn in the fall or if my tree may be dead. Can anyone give me advice. I had a beautiful Red Maple die in the same spot 2 years ago due to a late frost. It was heart breaking. I really hope we haven't had a loss again.

Answer 1

If it was planted in the spring I doubt if it is still in shock and it isn't quite fall yet.  Willow oak are pretty forgiving and drought tolerent, but planting them too deep can be fatal.  They say as little as one inch of extra fill dirt can kill one.  Are the twigs at the ends of the branches still soft and pliable or are they brittle and easily broken?

As the other poster suggested, with a sharp knife cut a bit of bark the size of a nickle off the trunk to reveal the inner bark or cambium.  If it is brown or black and dry the tree is dead.