Why are the needles on my white pine turning brown? Is there something I can do to save the tree? - Ask Extension
We just bought a house in July this year and the tree looked okay. During the next two month all needles turned brown. I believe that the tree is not ...
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Why are the needles on my white pine turning brown? Is there something I can do to save the tree? #483174
Asked September 06, 2018, 10:20 AM EDT
We just bought a house in July this year and the tree looked okay. During the next two month all needles turned brown. I believe that the tree is not dead as some of the branches are soft and not easy to break. We did have a lot of rain this summer but the tree is located on a hill and it looks like water would be running down the hill. There are some white spots in the tree trunk. Can this be treated? Is there anything else I can do to save it? Thank you so much in advance! We love the tree and hopefully we can fix it.
Bucks County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
Here is a link to a fact sheet that describes two kinds of white pine decline. https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-or-w-22.pdf
There are also several other diseases attacking white pine. The trees have been stressed by the erratic weather patterns in the last several years. This year we've has far too much cool humid weather followed by hot humid weather. Many of our tree species are struggling with leaf pathogens and are dropping the infected leaves/needles.
You can call a licensed arborist and have your tree diagnosed. You can find one nearby at the International Society of Arboriculture. Here is a link to their website zip code locator. http://www.isa-arbor.com/findanarborist/arboristsearch.aspx
You can also take your pictures to your Bucks County Penn State Extension along with any samples that still have green needles and ask the advice of you local Master Gardeners. They can have your samples tested for needle disease, but they will need living tissue.
