Here is another one, from the same time.

Now here is a picture from now.

It's hard to tell. Here's another picture.

Most likely the tree is planted too deep in the soil as well as spending a good portion of its life at your house competing with the lawn for moisture and nutrients. Check out this other topic addressing root flare/soil levels. Then check out the flare's location on your tree, takes pics, and post them for us to see.

It certainly should have grown more than it has and your assumption it is ailing or at least stressed seems to be correct!

John

Here is a link that might be useful: See the pics at the bottom for educational comic relief

This tree was already planted when we moved in. Along with many other of the same tree planted in the neighborhood It's never looked stressed, just not full. So anything else to help it besides that we put the mulch ring around it?

i wrote this at the link:

By "telephone poled," do you mean that the tree was planted too deep in the ground so that the root flare was covered?

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here is how i conceptualize it ...

roots are made to handle moisture ...

trunks are not made to handle moisture.. they spend 99% of their time.. vertical and dry ... and shed rain, etc ..

when you bury the trunk.. and it stays wet ... wetter than it prefers.. it interferes with the functions below the bark ...

perhaps .. to analogize ...think of building a deck ... in the soil we use pressure treated wood... to offset the moisture .. in our case.. roots are such ... and above.. we can go with cheaper... non-treated wood ... in our case.. the trunk ... if you use untreated wood in the ground.. your deck has the potential to rot real fast ...

the worst scenario in all this .... is the mulch volcano .. where peeps bury the trunk with mulch too high ... and it has the same effect ...

the root flare .. is the point.. where the tree changes from one type of wood to the other.. so it should be at ground level ...

the real trick to planting in clay.. is to plant high.. and mound a better soil .... so that half the root mass is in the clay.. and half is above.. and the tree.. will put its roots where it can cope ... and that will be down in the clay ...

the failure is not that trees cant grow in clay .. its all a PROPER PLANTING ISSUE.. we screw it up at transplant ...and the plant.. does not have time to grow roots into the clay ... before it starts dying ... if we give it a chance.. there is no reason trees cant grow in clay ..

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and here in this post i will add for you ... this was a large transplant.. if it was balled and burlap ... we never really know.. if it came with a sufficient root mass ... its seems it has some roots .. as it continues to leaf out...

but it is surely not thriving.. so perhaps it just didnt have the roots as the others in the area did ...

you need to check for planting depth.. but we cant really check for the other...

with your lack of history.. its really hard to be precise for you ...

bottom line ... if its a curiosity.. enjoy watching it ...

if its bugging you.. you can do a lot better.. and you and junior ought to start planning out its removal.. and the planting of a better tree come the next PROPER PLANTING TIME.. which is probably at leaf fall in fall .. or early next spring....

you really can do so much better.. than what everyone else on the block has ...

i suggest you start a new post on what your tree options are.. if you wish to go down that road ... you will probably get a more diverse list of suggestions, rather than burying a new topic at the bottom of this post ...

ken