Hello Marcia,

It's difficult to determine what is causing the browning and needle loss. For several pine species, shedding of the older needles (even if they're only 2 to 3 years old) in autumn is normal. Usually, they turn yellow before browning, but that might not always be the case. The needles that are missing could have been eaten by a caterpillar or group of sawfly larvae (these look and behave very much like caterpillars but are a different kind of insect); several species do consume pines. Caterpillars tend to leave the plant when they're done eating to wander off to find a safe site to mature into adults, so it's possible the culprit(s) aren't going to be found at this point. Fortunately, few of these defoliators cause any serious damage to the tree's long-term health.

We can't tell what kind of bark damage is being seen since the photo is blurry. Some pine trees do naturally shed some flakes or plates of outer bark as they age, though this tree might be too young for that just yet. Do deer pass through the yard? Male deer rubbing antlers on young trees (which they do to get the velvet off in early autumn) can cause bark damage and fraying. Insects boring into the wood underneath can also cause bark to slough off in those areas, but in that case the top growth usually dies back around the same time and to a greater extent than appears to be happening here. Even if borers are present, there are no treatments which would be of use. They tend to target trees under stress from growing conditions (drought, flooding, etc.).

The leaf spots on the plants underneath the pine is probably unrelated in that it's not likely to be the same pathogen infecting both plants, but leaf spot pathogens and their symptoms are in general very common on a wide variety of plants by the end of summer. They don't need treatment (nor would a fungicide be effective at this point), especially if a disease is affecting an invasive species like Asiatic Dayflower. Plus, some insect feeding doesn't fully chew through the entire leaf layer and causes burnt- or bleached-looking spots where they were feeding.

Is anything keeping the soil near the pine soggy, or does it drain poorly, where heavy rain takes more than a day to drain off? Pines tend not to tolerate oversaturated soil very well, especially in combination with compaction (as is often the case in suburban yards), and Asiatic Dayflower is fairly adaptable to wetter soils, though it's not a requirement for their growth. Do any roof downspout outlets empty nearby? Loblolly will tolerate occasional flooding, but its ability to withstand soil wetness probably depends greatly on soil type and possibly its acidity level.

Since there is no particular action to take right now, just keep monitoring the tree for watering needs if we experience any more dry spells in late summer or autumn. Feel the soil about six inches deep and water well only when it's becoming relatively dry to the touch at that depth. Make sure the trunk base isn't struck with any mower or weed-whacker equipment or exposed to herbicide for weed control. Keeping any weeds around the tree's base removed is helpful to lessen any root competition for moisture and nutrients. If the tree leafs-out normally next spring and doesn't develop dieback symptoms relatively quickly, then it probably wasn't seriously impacted by whatever is causing its current symptoms. (Even if a disease is present and worsening, if it's any small consolation, there's nothing you could have done at this point to cure it, so waiting to see how the tree fares isn't denying you the opportunity to intervene.)

Miri

Hello Miri-

Thank you for the photos. The webbing doesn't necessarily indicate any particular pest activity, and may have simply been made by spiders hunting for flying insects. We don't see any obvious cause of damage. If a pest is present inside the twigs, it will only be visible if the twig is cut in half lengthwise, but testing this should only be done on a stem you are fine sacrificing and cutting off since that will kill the trimmed portion. Any pest consuming needles externally will be visible on the outside of the plant, though occasionally insects leave their host plant to hide from predators when not actively feeding (and several feed only at night). Given the needle browning, our primary suspect is still root stress or a fungal infection in the branch tips or the needles themselves, but if next year's new needle growth looks normal, that would be an encouraging sign that this was a temporary issue.

Miri