Thanks for the response!

Now that I’m looking more into it, it certainly appears to be termite damage. What would be the next steps to solving this issue? I’m assuming I should tear down that wall and see What else is back there.

next step is an exterminator.

Is this something I can try and tackle myself?

If you aren't the first owner, it is possible that the termites were eliminated by the previous owner who then didn't clean up (or find) all the termite mess.

If you can actually poke around and see if there are currently termites, I'd do it. I know where I live, homes are tented
for termites whenever they are sold because previous termite evidence
is never removed so the homes are always "infested". (It's kind of a
scam here--I've never heard of an exterminator actually presenting a
captured animal. We DO have termites, but magically, they only appear and cause damage right when a home is being sold. )

Evidence of prior termite damage does not mean termites are currently there!

Thanks for your response Fori!

I’m not the first owner of the home, I just moved in last summer and now getting around to remodeling the lower level (it is a split level home). During our initial home inspection there were signs of termite/carpenter ant damage which was taken care of back then. I haven’t seen any signs of a current infestation since I’ve moved in, other than the traces shown in the picture above.

You might not be infested now, but I would routinely have my home sprayed. It doesn't mean they wouldn't come back. Some areas are prone to termites.