I have a silver leaf maple tree in our backyard that I'am guessing is 30 years old. Last summer we noticed it stop getting leaves. I don't know if it is dead or is there somrthing we can do to save it. Also about 10 years ago my wife tied a rope around it to support a hammock. We never took to rope down and the bark started growing around the rope. Don't know if this has anything to do with the tree dying. Tried removing the rope but most of it is too inbedded. Is it too late to save the tree ?
If it didn't produce any foliage last year, I would think it has had it's chips. I have seen trees with different things tied around the trunk and the trunk gradually grows over, and the tree doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects. I don't know much about silver leaf maples...are they long lived trees? Trees do have a life span, so maybe it has come to the end of it's quite naturally? One thing you could try is snapping a few twigs and seeing if they are green and flexible, or dead and dried. Also, scrape back a piece of bark on a slightly thicker branch and see if the flesh beneath is green. If there is green, then there might be hope. Perhaps a piccy of the tree might help the more 'tree learned' members of the group? Fingers crossed it is okay.
I'am going to wait until spring and then try the test that EJ suggested. Hope it's not dead as well . Like the trees in our backyard.
I can't say I know of any reason why your tree would not foliate other than it succumbed to disease and died. Trees are living things after all, and injuries can invite deadly infections.
