If it’s a pure A. pseudosieboldii (Korean Maple), it should be hardy in Minneapolis. Do you live in the city? If you do, I don’t think regular branch dieback is purely attributed to weather. You may have a particularly sensitive tree, but I’ve seen several Korean Maples this spring/summer that didn't show any dieback following a very cold winter.

Japanese x Korean Maple hybrids are now readily available and promoted as z4 hardy. Is it possible you have one of these? This claim is questionable in my opinion, and a winter like the last will test them. I had two, one of which did not survive. The smaller of the two, which is in a more protected site, survived, while the larger but more exposed tree perished. Last winter was one I hope to never experience again, but it did bring into question some hardiness questions for a few trees.

I'm quite sure it is not a hybrid. My mother and I purchased them at the same time. She lives in Moticello 40miles northwest of me and my tree is much bigger than hers but it is also a bit more sheltered.

the thumbnail photo cuts off the top but if you click on it you can see the dead branches on top.

That does look like winter dieback. On a positive note, excellent fall color.

how bad was last winter???

im not sure there is anything you or should do ... definitely not get hurt trying to prune it ... and i wouldnt waste money on have a pro do it ...

maybe give it a long deep drink this fall.. just to insure it goes into winter.. full of water ... i might just put a sprinkler on under it for a few hours ... so water can get deep into the soil ... maybe move it a couple times ...

i cant see under it... is it in an overfertilized lawn ??? maybe that is a problem .... and if you irrigate your lawn... the superficial ... in tree terms.. watering might be an issue ...

more facts ... pic of whole area.. maybe we can intuit something else ???

,ken

Assuming there weren't any leaves on those tips all season long?

My Korean Maple had dieback this past winter but sparadic not just in one location. You should have dieback on laterals as well not just the top unless you had late season growth only at the top which is very susepticable to dieback.

Asian maples tend to put out late season growth when they get ample moisture August - I doubt you're watering anymore but I'd avoid watering that time of year.

There were some bare tips during the summer but I didn't really notice how many until recently. Could be because I'm not great at paying attention but whaas_5a suggestion seems to make a lot of sense. We have had a (I believe) close to record breaking wet summer in Mpls and last winter was really cold. I have not noticed any dieback on laterals at all. I would say the top has happened for about the last 4-5 years.

I haven't watered the backyard once this season, no irrigation system, and rarely fertilize. I am definitely a more low maintenance gardener. I'll take some more pics of the area and post as Ken suggested but I already feel better about the tree b/c of the feedback. Thanks for the input.

That is a beautiful little tree! I've wanted to try to grow one, but I'm not going to push my luck.

Apart from concerns about winter cold in Wyoming it would probably need to be on a heavily watered lawn because of low summer humidity. Also alkalinity might be a problem for it, because it is for the related Japanese maple (Acer palmatum).

Other than the dead tips what I notice about the above picture is a general similarity in foliage appearance to vine maple (A. circinatum). This one is also in the same group yet is adapted to western North American conditions. Zone 4 however is probably too cold for it to persist well.

Not in the same Sec. Palmata but if you haven't tried it similarly small growing and small leaved A. saccharum grandidentatum can be very colorful and is actually native as far north as Montana. With some sources designating it as being hardy to USDA 3.

NDSU has a selection that might do well for you in WY. Called Northern Spotlight. Might be hard to find.

I wonder why Northern Spotlight has such limited availability along with Ice Dragon. There are quite a few zone 4 and 5 gardeners that would appreciate having these available for planting

North Wind and Northern Glow are the other zone 4 hardy hybrids.

The iseli hybrids are not reliable in the fargo area. I’ve heard mixed things here around the twin cities about them. My ice dragon took a beating last winter.

Weather is just too crazy here with late and early freezes. Plus the soil could be an issue. We’ve got big tooth maple that are nice little maples, but nothing like a jm or Korean maple with those awesome leaves. So pretty much what Embo said. Korean maple looks like an awesome tree, I want one!. I’ll check out the northern spotlight