I hate to tell you this but the battle is not over. Moles love earth that has been loosened by planting things in holes. Replacing the dirt is just another invitation to the mole. I have tried putting lava rock down the hole, and sticking those metal wire label supports down the hole, to discourage the mole from persisting with its hole, but the most effective thing I've found yet is to put some kind of meat, or better yet a dead carcass of a vole, mouse, etc. down the hole to really gross the mole out. Supposedly castor oil can repel moles, I can't say if I think it really works or not.

As for saving the tree, early detection and restoring the dirt around the roots is most important, and keeping it well watered. I hope it makes it. Maybe someone else will chime in. Or dig it up and put it in a pot to restore it.

I went out and an annual, Cosmidium philippine, that is supposed to smell like chocolate, planted in a bed known to be attacked by moles and surrounded by metal label wires, had completely disappeared.:-(

Win a few, lose a few.

Can you dig the whole thing up and put it into a pretty pot? JM look lovely in pots and become a focal point. I don't have experience with moles, the one pest we don't seem to have, but I don't think they can get into a pot!!!

Here is a link that might be useful:

I'd grow it out in a pot until it's bigger. I've found that I can plant gallon size or bigger trees and get them to survive some mole damage. I have the same maple growing next to my deck and it has survived many years of mole damage.I think it was in a 5 gallon pot when I bought it.

I sprinkle in some of the castor oil pellets in the planting holes and it seems to help. I also put some around the topsoil a ways out from the plant too. There's a new to me one out now that has chili powder, blood meal, and maybe other things, but I don't yet know if it's working. Wear a dust mask when applying it.

I will sometimes make a chicken wire cage to go around the root ball and that keeps the mole from plowing through so that it can get established. The wire will rust out in a couple of years. I do that with my tomato plants too, after losing many to moles before.

Good luck!

1.get rid of the mole.
2.give your maple bit of toot stimulating hormone
3.feed it with weak solution of miracle grow.(weak and not too often maybe every 3 weeks in summer months.
4. don't expect to see changes until next spring/ summer
5.KEEP AN EYE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T GET ANOTHER MOLE.
6.get rid of the mole, ask professionals how to.
described above methods did not work for my mole years ago.
i also posted here do a search for more ideas.

I just recently decided to pot up a tree that has been in a 3 gallon pot to a larger pot.
Imagine my surprise when I found a mole tunnel IN the root ball, the plant roots were curved around the tunnel so it has been there in use a long time.
The mole was using one slightly larger than normal drainage hole for entrance.
So cover your drainage holes with some screen or hardware cloth.
I've tried the chicken wire thing, but found that regular moles can get through that size hole. The adult townsend mole is big enough to be excluded, though.
I've had to go to hardware cloth to protect special perennials, and hope their roots will fit. But moles will also tunnel down through the top of the soil.

I hate 'em!

The best way and only way to get rid of moles is to 'trap' them.

I have potted the Maple- thanks for all your great advice. This is also good as now I can turn it, as all the dead areas were on the non-sunny side.

We do trap moles- we live off of a park and they are a real nuisance. This is the first time one has done this kind of damage though.