Hi there,

It sounds like your tree is going through winter desiccation. If the needles are turning brown from the outside inward, that is probably the issue. It has been a dry March until these past two storms so it is important to winter water your trees. Here is a fact sheet on how to winter water:

http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/fall-and-winter-watering-7-211/

Also, I could not tell from your picture because it was not quite in focus but you may also have Cooley Spruce gall. Here is some information on this if insect and the galls it causes if you start seeing strange growth:

http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Pests/cooley1.htm

I hope this helps.

Hi there,

I was emailing with Robert Cox who is the extension agent for Arapahoe County and he had the following response:

Those tufts of purplish needles result from last May’s new shoots that were damaged by the May 11th cold snap. New spruce needles are more succulent/tender than year-old needles that have just survived winter cold.

See attached photos – more new shoot injury resulting from the May 11 (“Mother’s Day Freeze”).   Buds opening to new growth this May will hopefully not get hit by the same sort of late cold snap.

Please let us know if you have any more questions or concerns.

Thanks for the reply and the pictures.  It now seems the twisted purplish undeveloped needles are from last spring's cold spell.  But my young tree (5 yrs.) has a large area of dead or almost-bare branches.  Somebody at a floral/nursery store said it could be sun scald (the dead-looking area faces south).  I suspect something else, and I'm trying to get a city arborist inspector to come over and look at it.