It's difficult to determine the cause of the bark damage in the photo. Do squirrels visit the tree? Damage from their gnawing is a possibility, especially if you see fine tooth rake marks up close. (We don't see this in the photos, but it's hard to tell for certain.) If the injuries appeared to be fairly sudden, that too suggests animal damage like squirrel activity. We do see what looks like extensive Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a local woodpecker species that spends the winter in our region) damage to the lower trunk, denoted by the rows of holes pecked into the bark. (The two types of holes they create can be viewed in the linked gallery page.) Perhaps another species of woodpecker was foraging for hiding or wood-boring insects by chipping off the bark, though usually they explore trees for insects in other ways. If wood-boring insects are present, they indicate the tree is (or was) under stress.

The presence of what appears to be moss, lichen, and/or algae on the lower trunk, coupled with what looks like numerous low branches suggests that the trunk is fairly shaded, which may allow for fungi to degrade some of the outer bark layers. In that case, it's something that would warrant treatment, other than thinning some branches in the canopy to let more light and air flow in through.

We do not see indications of a canker infection/disease. Aside from some corrective pruning, you don't need to intervene.

Miri