take a hand trowel .. and dig near them.. and see if your watering protocol is actually getting water to the root balls ... if not.. increase water ...

trees need deep soakings ... and then near drying in between waterings ... they do not like wet feet for the most part ... so it all depends on how much water you apply .. and how it moves through your soil ...

we can not speculate on such ......

i suspect they are not getting sufficient water at depth ... if you confirm that ... set the hose on trickle.. and leave it there for many hours.. until you dig a new hole .. and find that the water is down in the root zone ... then move to the next tree ...

good luck

ken

Thanks, Ken. There is actually water getting to the roots, but I wonder if it's too late.

My main question is, if only the trunk is alive (green under bark), might the branches come back to life or once they dry out is that it?

They may well come back next spring and surprise you, esp. if the cambium stays green. If it's a harsh winter, or if you keep getting thaws, then it may be another story. Keep them watered until the ground freezes, and water if it thaws out during the winter. Plan on watering for the next year, depending on the rains you get.

If you haven't mulched around them, I would do so now - as widely as you can, at least to 3' diam., but more IS better, no deeper than 4", and no mulch in the 2-3" next to the trunks. Mulching will help keep the soil cooler, keep moisture in it, limit root competition from grasses and weeds, and slowly break down to improve the soil. Personally, I use an aged hardwood mulch, but it doesn't really matter what you use. Don't use landscape cloth under it, as they don't, in the long run, do much to keep weeds away. If you have grass you want to kill off under the mulch, a layer of flattened cardboard or 4-8 sheets of black-ink newspaper will smother and kill the grass, and most annual and some perennial weeds. The really persistent perennials will have to be pulled or dug, but will come out easier in moist soil. Keep the paper edges covered or else they will dry out and wick moisture from the soil. The paper should, if kept moist, break down by next year, and disappear.

Thanks, dibbit!