My neighborhood has a lot of Japanese Zelkovas. This year they are leafing out poorly, with large sections of the crown not leafing out while other parts are fully leafed. some branches have died off, and are curling inwards. What could this be? I thought Zelkovas were pretty hardy but so many of them look bad in my area right now.

For the symptoms you mention, this would normally indicate cambium damage below the bark from extremes in weather. While this winter weather was not bad, the previous winter clearly was. A late freeze or heavy frost can kill emerging buds. If you can reach one of those branches and scrape the bark it should be a deep moist looking green if the branch itslef is healthy. A light dry green color could indicate vascular bundle damage in the cambium layer. you could readh out to the Madison County Extension Office at Phone: 618-939-3434 and see if they have other reports