Perhaps verticillium wilt, a soil borne fungus common in this area. Maples are a common victim.

Consider calling a certified arborist for an on-site visit to verify one way or another.

Ugh! After looking it up and seeing pictures of others' trees with it, that's what it looks like...the wood underneath (where the bark is peeling off) is almost black in most areas.

So it's decided...the Vine Maple will come out. I see the internet has many listings of susceptible and resistant plants. I never realized that this is the same thing that most likely killed my Silk Tree about 4 years ago (bark splitting, black wood underneath), but I saw that Silk Trees are also listed as susceptible. It also probably explains why my Smoke Tree is looking scorched. It's 5 yrs old and has only grown from a 1' planting to a 2' spindly plant at present time. My neighbor is losing her Crimson King Maple (one section at a time), so I bet it's the same thing.

I cut a branch off of the Autumn Blaze Maple (some of the leaves are a little scorched looking, but I thought it was the heat. There are small areas of black staining under the bark in a couple of places on the branch I cut. So I think that tree is going to have to come out (even though the tree looks ok at this time, I'll probably remove/replace it sooner, rather than later, because I'd rather do it when it is a manageable 20' tree).

Well, I now know that this is something I must consider when planning the plantings in my yard from now on.

Thanks for the info!

Sunscald is another possibility. If the trunks are damaged on the sunny side, that's it.
The shoots coming up from the bottom of the Vine Maple will be just fine. (I'll bet on it) If so, verticilium wilt is not the culprit. It gets blamed for far too many problems that are cultural in origin.

The black wood underneath peeling bark isn't an indication of verticillium. Instead, the dark staining of verticillium is in the cambium layer.

I suggest you have a certified arborist or two out for an on-site evaluation to determine what's occurring. No point in needlessly removing trees.

I agree.
Mike,...... from Maple Valley....formally Vine Maple Valley.

I went home at lunch and took a closer look. The affected areas are, in some of the areas, encircling the trunks. I decided to cut off the most affected trunk and found that there is a dark ring (dark green, almost black) in the inner part of the wood. I also happened to cut right through some bug that was living inside of the tree (I'm not sure how it got there, but it had a hole in the wood and I did not see an entrance hole anywhere...the bug, or what was left of it, had sort of a metallic green coloring to it. I also noted that several of the new shoots are now looking like the leaves were burnt/scorched.

I think I y'all are right...I should check this with an arborist.

Maybe there's an OSU Extension office near there that can help you. Also have a look at this. Note in particular the page on Bacterial Leaf Spot and Dieback.

Here is a link that might be useful: An Online Guide to Plant Disease Control - Oregon State University Extension - Maple

Thanks for the tip, bboy. I found it is not too far from my house. I went there this morning and took a cutting of one of the trunks. They said it was definitely V. Wilt. Plus, it had borers, as well. As Jean001 said, this is a significant problem in this area, they say.

They asked me a lot of questions about my landscape and they tell me that it appears that I have a high water table in the winter, as when the rains get heavy, the water will pool in my backyard and not drain right away.

That being said, I will be looking for a tree for my backyard that will fit the bill. I'll post the question, however, in a new thread.

Thanks all!