If you lift the tree and tap its base against the ground, it should not lose many needles. Examine the cut end of the trunk to see if the sap is sticky. That indicates it was cut recently.
Photo Credit: Tanya Impeartrice / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 You may have once avoided sprucing up your tree’s trunk with beautiful plant material like annuals and perennials because you thought the shade ...