I am a backyard boiler that makes about 7 gallons a year. In the past two years about 1/3rd of my 10 maple trees in the yard have developed this malady (see photos). Large chunks of bark have just dropped off, typically at the base-root of the tree but then also further up the tree. They look absolutely dead at that part of the tree. I have asked my forester and Gerlach’s landscaping if they’ve ever seen this before and they said no. I didn’t tap last year thinking I didn’t want to stress the trees further . Any ideas? IMG_7083.jpgIMG_7080.jpgIMG_7081.jpg