Hi, 

It very well could be old cicada damage. It is difficult to see from the photos though. If you are able to prune any of the dying branches and examine them, you could look for the cicada damaged. 

If it looks like the dying part is coming from all one branch, it could be another issue. 

This appears to be a Japanese maple variety and those trees can be prone to verticillium wilt disease. If you can prune out the dead branch it will help to clean up the tree. You can also examine the pith. 

If it is too high or large to accomplish yourself, you can look into hiring a certified tree expert or arborist to help. The links provided will allow you to search for one in your area. 

If you can prune and send us a photo of those branches it may be helpful for us to come to a conclusion. 

Emily 

Hi Emily,

Unfortunately, there isn't staff in Montgomery County to take walk-ins or the ability for lab testing to be done. Be sure to look at the Verticillium highlighted link above to see the internal discoloration to look for. 

Removing the branches with dead leaves would be cosmetic at this point and is up to you. It's still possible that the branch would look green internally but dying back.  Next season once the leaves flush in spring you'll know if the branches survived and you can prune them out then if needed.

Christine