Anyone have any ideas why my tree might be dying like this all of a sudden?

Hi all, it's my first time posting here but I've been getting more connected to nature and want to expand my current understanding.

I am in North Texas, and there are lots of Crape Myrtle trees planted in the area. I was on a walk today and came across one that had what looked like a huge pile of dirt accumulated between all the branches, trapped in the center. Upon reflection, I'm realizing it might have been composted leaves/debris, but my concern was that it was quite moist and I worried that this isn't good for the bark/overall tree health.

I scooped out the big pile of dirt/compost, and was surprised to find that the tree had grown a bunch of tiny white roots into the pile, and the root mass was quite extensive towards the bottom. I found it remarkable that the tree adapted like this, and it made me wonder if perhaps the tree was quite able to deal with this sort of thing and maybe I shouldn't have intervened at all. The little roots are currently exposed, as seen in the pic (which was after removing about 6 inches of the dirt; I left a small layer on the bottom because the roots were dense enough that I would've had to rip them, and I already had accidentally ripped quite a bit, before realizing they were actually growing from the tree and not a separate plant.

What are your thoughts on this? Should I have just left it alone? Thanks for reading, excited to hear what y'all have to say :)

So for starters, these are very old willows, the specific species I am unsure of but if you can identify them I would appreciate that too!

Last one I cut down in this cluster was (counting rings) 52-61 years old, as I understand that is the lifespan of many willow species.

This area is prone to flooding which I recently fixed by dredging my creek however after the previous flood several old limbs lost sloughed off their bark and tipped over in the next windstorm.

No clear signs of bug infestation prior to falling, however a few small holes on a few (pictured), the wood doesn’t look fractured like a healthy tree but crumbling.

TL:DR - Are my willows end of life or is something else going on?

I know it’s a Willow, trying to find out what kind. iNaturalist is having trouble. leaves are too high up for me to get the remaining living ones. Found on the bank of the Susquehanna River in Northern Pennsylvania

40 year old serviceberry developed black discoloration that’s now producing yeasty smelling foam that may represent fermentation as bees are going crazy for the ooze. Asked my arborist and he wasn’t familiar with it. Any ideas what this is?

It's a maple tree (not sure of the species) in southern Quebec. I find it particularly fascinating because all of its neighbours have straight trunks. What could have caused this tree to look twisted?

I planted this Blue Atlas Cedar in November 2025 in the southeastern US (Zone 8). We experienced extreme heat and prolonged drought conditions in September.
I’ve monitored watering closely using tree watering bags, a soil moisture sensor, and recently drip irrigation.
The upper portion completely lost its needles and failed both the bend and scratch tests. It eventually snapped off during testing. However, the lower branches still have beautiful blue needles and appear healthy.
My questions: What might have caused this? Can the tree recover and develop a new leader, or is replacement the better option?
Appreciate any advice!