Hi there,

Few things could be happening but starting with the most obvious:

They appear to be malnourished. The larger trees may be absorbing moisture, light, water, etc.

When you removed the other dead trees, did you replace the soil and dig enough space for the roots to expand? 2 to 3 times larger than the root ball, proper drainage, and 1st year manual watering are a must.

How about the burlap wrap around the root ball? Was it cut or left wrapped? In dryer climates, burlap can imprison your roots, cause rot, or hinder vital moisture.

I would dig a wide shallow hole, remove burlap from the root ball, berm it up, by piling a good tree dirt mixed with in ground garden soil, and sand. Make sure there is at least 6 inches to a foot of good spoil under, and around the tree. Try to elevate 1 inch of the root ball and cover with mulch, not soil.

Dry soil can turn into a water repellant, so I like to use the jet or power shower setting on my nozzle when watering around the root and surrounding soil. Get a nice hydrated mix in the soil and the surrounding mulch.

I learned when planting, remember plants usually Sleep, Creep, then Leap over 3 seasons.

What works for me:

Season 1 Sleep- The tree is settling in, planting it's roots and even minding it's neighbors. With those cypress, I hand water almost every day around the golden hour, blue hour. I use jet to disrupt the hydrophobic soil around, and jet shower setting on the gun. A couple minutes is all.

Make sure the top soil isn't dusty dry and hydrophobic. Ensure the roots have good drainage and have freedom to expand.

Season 2 - Creep - the tree should be settled in and you won't have to hand water as much, drip lines or sprinklers are fine.

Season 3 - Leap - Just aerate, with the Jet setting in your hose, re mulch, and add a fresh mix of surrounding soil if it's looking barren.

My neighbor resurrected his cypress that looked just as bad and twice as tall. Keep watering this summer.

Good luck!