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here2learn_z8

Please help - maple sapling

I recently bought a house and it came with a maple sapling in the backyard. I haven't been able to definitively ID it based on google searches, but I think it could be a red maple based on the leaf shape?

The sapling has very few leaves (based on what I imagine it should have), and the leaves it does have do not look healthy. I don't think it's just fall leaf drop because we've been having record high temperatures. It is located in central TX (zone 7-8b depending on where you look), and it gets some morning shade from the house and then afternoon sun. It is near another tree which was IDed as a ligustrum by the sellers which appears to have recently had a lot (~ 3/4) of the canopy die out (supposedly too many competing trunks). We've been cutting out the dead material from this tree - it seems like the dead bits have been dead for a very long time because they were very dry and brittle. I mention this in case it could be affecting the health of the maple.

Questions: What is wrong with it? How should I care for it? I added the red mulch around the base (It looks much more lopsided in the photo than I thought it was - oops) because I read it should be mulched to the drip line - that was all the mulch I had on hand but I can buy more. We don't get much rain here - should I be giving it regular supplemental water? I read that maples like evenly moist soil; that seems like a bad fit for central TX.

If it does survive, can anyone help me ID it so I can estimate the mature size of the tree? I want to make sure it isn't too close to the house.

Thank you all for your time! This is my first post so constructive feedback is welcome.

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