Extension Master Gardener, I believe I already know the answer but want to be sure before I go through the effort and expense of replacing my tree. Up until this spring I had the most beautiful, full, deeply red in the fall, Red Maple tree in my backyard. It was the most beautiful and by far the healthiest looking maple in the development. But this spring I noticed very few buds on the west side of the tree. The east side appeared healthy and well. There was nothing visible on the trunk or bark of the tree, and I was not able to see anything eating the leaves. I suspected the roots were being eaten by a rodent, but I didn't see any signs of tracks or tunnels in the turf. I should have reached our to you earlier, but I failed to do so. Perhaps I could have saved my beautiful tree if I had. Last week I pulled out all the mulch around the base of the tree and in doing so, I exposed a large area of damaged bark. In that area I saw a pencil sized whole in the base of the trunk. It was clear the tree had been attacked by some sort of wood boring insect. Note the attached picture of the tree, and the two attached pictures of the trunk. I should mention that this spring I noticed some (not a lot) of small white moths coming out of my lawn. (I'm not sure if they were related to the problem, but thought I should mention it.) So, my first question is... is the tree saveable? And if so, what do I need to do to save it? The second question is... if I have to replace the tree, how can I prevent this type of damage in the future? I fertilize my trees on a regular basis, wrap the entire trunk each fall, and I inspect the leaves for signs of insect damage and treat it when I find some. I also treat my soil for grubs to prevent turf damage from voles. I can't imagine having to pull back the mulch every now and then to check the trunk, but I will if I must. Is there a better way to protect my trees? Lastly... Is a red maple (or any maple) a bad choice for a residential backyard that butts up to a wetland area? Is there a deciduous tree that would fare better in this environment? I'd love to replace it with another red maple, but not if it doesn't have a good chance of growing into a large, mature tree. Thank you very much for your help.