Hi James,

These appear to be trees in a more natural area and not a maintained landscape. I will assume that these are trees that don't receive regular irrigation?

Unfortunately the ponderosa pine is in decline. As to why, I just can't speculate based on the information given. We haven't really seen any outbreaks of mountain pine beetle in recent years.

You may consider contacting either a certified arborist to assess the trees (http://www.treesaregood.com)

Or contact the State Forest Service and see if there are any insect outbreaks in your area that have been reported: https://csfs.colostate.edu/areas/

Pines and spruce, overall, were hit hard by the October cold snap in 2020, followed by a very dry, cold, windy winter. The new growth on these trees looks good, if the trees are healthy enough to push the new growth.

Also, because of the drought, we saw a lot more needle drop last fall than normal.