Life after die back

I have decided that the symptoms affecting my poor little maple more closely ressemble dieback than anything else. Unfortunately the branches have died back right to - and down - the trunk, so I can't cut back to healthy stuff. The best option seems to be to fell it. It was planted in the ground before I built my raised herb patch next to it, and an extension of the brick wall surounds it (it looks like it is in a metre square brick planter), so I can't dig up the roots, only cut it down level with the ground. Is it possible to grow something else over it, preferably yet more herbs, or will the soil be contaminated? The wall is high enough for me to cover the remains with about 8" of soil if need be.

 

Wow ML. This is one of those where everyone will have a different idea so here's the first one.

I take it you don't actually know what caused the tree to die so I would play safe and use some Jeyes fluid on the soil and let it lie fallow over the winter. Then, next spring, put on your extra 8 inches of topsoil and plant up. I know that others will have other ideas so, if you get conflicting advice, then choose which to accept. I'm sure no-one will have a certain answer.

 

If you chop the tree down leaving the roots, i wouldn't be conviced anymore that it wouldn't grow back. I hadn't realised nature was so powerful, until i chopped down a tree that had leaned right over in the storms we had, and it grew out of the stump.

Heres the thread about it
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003323

I think you might need to grind the trunk down at least rather than leave the trunk like i did.

 

I think it died because you built over the roots. If you bury the root system deeper, even if you don't pile soil against the trunk you can kill trees. Builders regularly kill big mature trees by doing this.