u/Other-Ad4942

We had this Japanese maple planted last summer. This spring/summer, only a few leaves came out, and they lasted for about a month before they became dry/crispy and fell off.
It’s now mid-August, and the tree looks like this.
I’m trying to figure out whether it is completely dead or if there is still a chance it could recover. What could have caused this, and is there anything I should do at this point?
I’ll add several photos, including close-ups of the trunk and the area around the base.
Should we remove it, or is there still hope?

We had this Japanese maple planted last summer. This spring/summer, only a few leaves came out, and they lasted for about a month before they became dry/crispy and fell off.
It’s now mid-August, and the tree looks like this.
I’m trying to figure out whether it is completely dead or if there is still a chance it could recover. What could have caused this, and is there anything I should do at this point?
I’ll add several photos, including close-ups of the trunk and the area around the base.
Should we remove it, or is there still hope?