Question
I have a Japanese Red Maple that stands about 12 feet tall. When sprouting out leaves this spring, I noticed that some limbs had no leaves at all and other had small cramped crinkly leaves that looked like choked. The tree is about 12 years old and has always been lush looking. What can you gather about this discription of how the leaves look. BTW..the bark look beautiful.

Answer
Hmmmm......

For the branches that did not leaf out, this may be a natural event.  If a branch was weakened or damaged the previous season, it may have not made it through the winter.  Regardless of the cause, you should remove the dead branches by pruning.  The pruning should occur during dry weather periods and the dead wood should be placed in the trash.  Pruning is actually good for the tree because it opens up the canopy and allows for greater air circulation.

As for the leaves, based on your description it may be chemical injury.  Have you recently used any herbicides in the area?  Have your neighbors?  Chemicals that are put on lawns in the springs can cause this type of damage to the leaves.  Some of the products are extremely stable and can volatilize several days after application and move up to a mile.  

I've recently moved into a new home where a Japanese maple is planted in a very shelted area.  My neighbor has his lawn treated monthly for weeds and our Jap maple tree is showing similar damage to the leaves.  I think these trees are especially sensitive.

Good luck!