I have 17 young Fig Trees in my backyard, the tops of them seem to be dead, but they were mulched heavy with hay at the base of the Tree. I pulled back the hay and checked the base of the trunks and they seem to be OK.. I scratched the base and it was green. Should I remove the hay now? This is my first year with some of my trees in the ground. I still have around 60 small trees in my garage..

Also, should I prune the dead tops off until I get to some good wood or leave them as is ? Almost all of our real cold weather is gone... I would appreciate any help...Thanks  : )

Leave hay and dead tips as-is for now.
Come May-June; you will have a much clearer picture where to prune.
Good luck.

Hi Frankallen,
I wait for being snow free, and left with only light frost, and I unprotect them.
I removed the trashcans and the dirt I had mounded around mine. So in your case, I would remove the hay to let the sun heat the dirt and avoid rodent nesting.
Don't cut anything before July. By then, you'll know what is still alive and cut accordingly .
The choice is yours of course, but leaving the hay could disturb the lower stems and buds while trying to leaf out.

I wouldn't remove the hay until late next month.  As George mentioned, prune near summer to know for sure what is dead.

It looks like I'm in the minority but, as you live in Alabama zone 7B, I would think you could remove the hay now.  If you have warm, moist weather then the hay will start to decompose which might not be good for the figs. I would think the likelihood of getting a hard freeze now is low where you live.  I agree that it would be best to wait before pruning in order to get a better idea of what parts of the trunk are really live/dead.

I agree with everybody about waiting to prune. When you start to see new growth , that will give you a better idea of what's alive ...If there is no more danger of freezing you can remove the hay .....

Thanks to Everyone for the Info!! It sure is nice to get some answers about our "Favorite Fruit Tree"  :)

Here in B'ham I had a few tips on a 5' celeste freeze.  I pruned them last week and am getting bud break just below the cuts now.  This weekend should be the last hoorah for any significant cold weather here.