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What is killing Jack Pine in Emmet County Michigan? #774795

Asked October 09, 2021, 3:01 PM EDT

This summer, we have observed a rapid and significant decline in the Jack Pine trees on and around our property in Emmet County, MI. Tree 1 shows a complete view of just a few of these trees. With many of the trees, the base of the trunk seems to be “normal”, and transitions up the tree to a reddish, thin underlying skin with no outer bark at all, as shown in Tree 2. Tree 3 shows a blue green fungal growth on the branches which seems to be extensive and common on dying trees. We live in a heavily treed area and many if not most of the Jack Pine trees are in some state of decline, with many young trees affected.  At this rate, I would expect widespread loss of Jack Pine. Thank you, I look forward to your reply.

Emmet County Michigan

Expert Response

The first step in diagnosis of any plant health problem is verification of the tree species. The photos don’t quite show enough detail for me to verify that these are Jack Pine. In fact, they look more like Scotch Pine from what I can see in the photos. How did you determine the tree species? If you can send better photos of the bark, needle clusters, and cones, I can help verify the species ID. 

An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 13, 2021, 8:20 AM EDT
Thank you for your reply. Here are some additional photos. The needles are a cluster of 2 about 1 1/2 inches long. Also included is an additional image of blue-green fungus. Look forward to hearing more.

On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 08:20:19 AM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied October 13, 2021, 1:03 PM EDT

The blue-green stuff on the branches is lichen. You can read more about these harmless organisms here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what-s-that-growing-on-my-tree

I think these are Scotch Pines (Pinus sylvestris), not Jack Pine. You can compare the cones to the cones in these photos of Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana): https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=1922

Of course, it very possible that you have both kinds of pine growing side-by-side. However, they will not be susceptible to the same disease and pest problems. 

Scotch Pine is highly susceptible to a number of fungal diseases of the needles and shoots. This article from MSU Extension might help: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_are_my_pine_trees_turning_brown 

Scotch Pines are also highly susceptible to pine wilt disease, which is carried from tree to tree by beetles that bore into the trunk. Inspect the trunk for signs of attack by wood-boring longhorn beetles (Sawyer beetles). You can also have a sample analyzed by the MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. Their website has contact info and instructions for how to submit a sample: https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/

An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 18, 2021, 3:42 PM EDT

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