Falling over

Just thinking about this beautiful beech tree we've lost in south Cairnhill Woods. For years someone has been piling garden refuse hard up against it all the way round, it was about a metre high. I don't know enough about trees and what can weaken them but I would like to know if having earth and plants packed round it so hard could have caused rot, and then caused it to snap in the recent high winds. It has snapped at the same height. I'm just asking out of interest, not to apportion blame. Any thoughts?