This tree was transplanted to our yard in the fall of 2009. Last year it did great. This year, it seems to be doing well except that a few of the branches' leaves shriveled up and died and fell off. What caused this? frost? Is it a sign of poor health? overall view ( photo / image / picture from bhapimama's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from bhapimama's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from bhapimama's Garden )
Every year in the spring I have to prune a lot of dead ends off my Japanese Maple. Your variety is different than mine, but I believe all have some dead loss every year. They can be a tough tree in some cases, and not in others. I would recommend you prune the dead branches and apply a product that seals the ends. From your photo I cant tell why your tree is acting in the manner it is. You could try using some fertilizer and maybe if you see any signs of disease removing those branches. Sometimes trees just loose branches although the tree itself is fairly healthy. I wish I could help more, but there is a category on this site for "diseases and pests" you might try posting there.
I get this type of thing happening to my Japanese maples now and again. All I do is prune out the dead branches and it seems to work just fine. However, don't prune if there is any likelyhood of frost or severe cold weather. I tend do do it when we have a few nice, sunny days. The rest of your tree looks to be healthy enough so I wouldn't worry too much.
