I have a sour cherry tree in my back yard. It puts out healthy cherries, but last year I noticed it was leaking a lot of resin, from both the trunk and the branches. There are big clumps of amber resin, and a couple branches lost their leaves. It's too soon to see what it's going to do this year, but it really doesn't look normal.
Cherry tree You must be located on the Front Range or have the wrong zones. I was in Florence on New Year's day and it was good to hear a Denver station broadcasting as I crossed over the border along with the increased speed zone on I-70. Obviously the cherry tree has been damaged, snow/hail or someother act of nature. The dead leaves are probably on the branch leading away from the damage and probably should be cut off. I am not an arborist but why don't you visit a garden center, not a big box store, and ask who they might recommend. Do not listen to anyone who tells you something without seeing the damage. If you cherish the fruit, it is a Montmorency Cherry?, you might want to pay someone to take a look at it.
This may help:http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/article.phtml?cat=18&id=926 or Slim Flux: http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-32.html http://www.forestpests.org/southern/slimeflux.html
