Question
I live in Portland, OR. My 4 yr old eucalyptus trees appear dead after an extended winter. All the branches and leaves are dead, but now new shoots are coming out at the very bottom of the trunk so I know the tree isn't dead. How far should it be cut back to make it thrive again?

Answer
The top died back from the cold and the roots are still alive and are sprouting new growth. All the dead material can be cut off but I would wait a while and make sure that it is dead before I would prune. Give it another three weeks and if you see no life on the branches and/or trunk then cut them off. to the new growth. The tree will be a bush shape for a while but over time one of the new sprouts will become the new tree top and the tree shape will come back.