Could be fire blight. Does it sort of look like there a burnt on the end of the branches? https://homeguides.sfgate.com/blight-blazing-maple-trees-38080.html

i am never concerned when leaves fall off deciduous trees in late sept ... its what they do ... some sooner than others.. whatever ....

and yeah ... they look like they have all kinds of problems.. but what are you going to do.. spray them when they are on the ground???

even across a small yard ... you cant really compare two different trees .. there could be all kinds of variables that differ ...

just get the rakes ready.. and the problem will be solved soon enough ...

and there is no real reason to worry about the same thing next season ... odds are.. it wont recur ... but if something does.. we will deal with that next year ...

knowledge is power ... and asking it such ... but its nothing to worry about ... this time of year ...

ken

It's been through two 70 degree temp swings in the last year and we've had 7" of precip. so far this year, so we're in drought. I have an oak looking the same as your maple. It put out about 8" of growth in its second flush over the last month and that new growth got zapped in the frost a few weeks back. No leaf change, the leaves just fell off the tree, leaving bare branch tips.

I don't know if it's being affected by a disease, that's possible but I think this points more towards a stress and drought affected tree. It looks like from the pic that the affected tips may be too high up for you to examine the branches to see if there are buds formed. You could contact an arborist for diagnosis to be sure. I'd water it well going into fall, then wait and see how it looks once it leafs out next spring. You may have some pruning to do then.

Not only has there been the drought and mega temperature swings it's also possible the tree is sensitive to the smoke pollution and the ash that has fallen intermittently.

Fireblight does not affect maples. That disease is restricted to members of the rose family only.

I don't believe there are any disease issues going on - at lest nothing too serious. It looks more like environmental stress as noted - drought, extreme heat, etc. And at this time of year, nothing I would be overly concerned about.

Some of your tree probably got zapped by frost, but not all. New leaves are not as tough as those that come out in spring

The problem? Summer is over! lol

A simple question. Is your maple tree located within the front yard near the street and public sidewalk? And/or is your location in an older community with mature street trees?

Thanks all for your input. Reason why I am asking is because my other exact same type of maple does not look like this. This tree is close to some other mature trees next to my other neighbors.

The only information you have given us is 'they are the exact same tree' and that may be true but subtle differences in location can change variables in these cases.

A boulevard tree, for instance may get some salt from snow plowing. A tree close to other trees will not get as much sun as others in the open. That's why you might see some trees already past peak with fall colors while others that are the exact same species still have green leaves.

This year in my country, color change has been scattered with spotty frost pockets and strong winds. Some years everything seems to change at the same time, some years not so much.

I see. Thanks. The two exact trees are both in my backyard getting similar amount of sun and surrounded by similar amount of other trees from my neighbors yard.

Thank you for clearing all that up with that information.

Showing one one picture of the top of a tree and not giving any other information is like asking a mechanic, my car is perfectly clean and shiny like the one across the street but won't run like theirs does, why?

With so little information one can only imagine so there's no point guessing.

Your maple tree is located in the back yard. This rules out several possibilities. Next question. Have you dug around its tree roots within the past few years? Or skimmed the top of surface roots with your lawn mower? How tall was this maple when you planted it?

I've seen where one tree located aways but downhill from a down spout, getting more water than another, making a huge difference in vitality.

Thanks, Bill_miinn_3b. What you said makes sense.

nandina,

I dug around this tree last summer but not this year. Thre's no lawn around it. As far as the height, I don't recall. This is a shorter variety of maple which I think it may be around 7 feet when we got it and it's probably 9 feet tall right now.

gardenchloe, Sit tight for this year. If the tree takes on the same appearance next year then you should be suspicious that it is infected with Verticilium Wilt. This Wilt is naturally present in soils and enters a tree, (especially Maples) when the roots have been disturbed and cut. Lots of info available searching including how to identify it. Perhaps some of the other pros will give you guidance on the subject. Sorry, I am too busy right now to detail the subject.