Japanese Maples: Help me decide what to do, 1 by Ivy1

Ivy1 wrote:
Here is my Acer Palmatum Dissectum. I wish I had a picture of it from two years ago, but I don't. Two years ago I had to move it because my neighbor's Hydrangea and Kousa Dogwood were growing too big due to his excess fertilization. I moved my tree from a relatively protected spot, to a hillside that is less protected. There are other Laceleafs in the area on sunny hillsides, with full day sun, so I thought this spot would not be too bad, because it was surrounded by houses and other structures.

Last year, the Laceleaf showed some crisping of leaves. I thought it was sunburn or wind, so I watered more. More and more leaves crisped and fell off. In fall, some tiny stems turned white and died. I checked for scale, but found nothing.

This spring, to my horror, my tree leafed out and about half the stems (including some large ones) were dead. Leaves were crisping at an alarming rate. A friend came over and found a caterpillar on it. I picked off the caterpillar and some white goo, and then I used some Gardens Alive Bullseye spray. I also watered more. The crisping seems to have stopped, and leaves are sprouting back a bit.

My problem is: I am not sure that this is a pest problem. Maybe the pests came after the tree was stressed. It sounds like Anthracnose, it also sounds like sun and winter burn. I am tempted to pot the tree in good soil and put it in a safer area, but was told I would surely kill it if I did so. If I leave it where it is this winter, It could die from wind and sun burn. If it is Anthracnose, the disease is in the soil and stems, and the plant will not leaf out at all next spring, killing it. What should I do?