White pine trees keep dying.....

[avguy]

My wife & I have approximately 60 or so 50' tall white pine trees that line one side of our property. We have been losing about 1 tree per year since moving here 6 years ago. Here are a couple of pics of yet one more that doesn't look like it will make it. Any ideas what might be causing this? Drought maybe? I don't see any signs of pest infestation.

 

[Raintree]

Are all the pines losses grouped or random through out the hedge row?

Did they appear to die suddenly or is it a slower progression of decline?

Are other pines nearby in your area also dieing?

Have you been in a drought for 6 yrs?

Are the trunks of the dead pines covered in white crusty sap like in pic #3?

Are these trees planted or a natural hedge row?

 

[avguy]

The Pines were planted by the original owner of the home approximately 18 years ago. They were planted in a row down one side of the property. The tree that is dyeing now looked lighter in color last fall. All of the dead trees were random....ie not side by side. You can see in the pic here another tree that died this spring. The lower branches of that tree looked like they had been sprayed with gly or something (last fall) and then by spring the whole tree was dead. I had one tree 4 yrs ago that looked like it may have been infested with bugs but I don't know if they attacked a good tree & killed it or the tree was already dieing and they infested it then.

Weather here has been very dry the past 4 years. A few of the other trees have a little bit of that white sap on them but otherwise look healthy. Any ideas? Thanks.....Scott

 

[hardpan]

My guess is you are leaning to a borer like maybe our zimmerman pine moth beetle. In addition I have hard clay that white and red pine can't penetrate. I'll be watching for a real diagnosis.

 

[Raintree]

My guess is you are leaning to a borer like maybe our zimmerman pine moth beetle.

Without more info my first guess would be the Bark Beetles. (Ips beetles)

 

[redheadwoodshed]

Looks like the woodpeckers have found something there.

 

[ch woodchuck]

Dendroctonus borers are the most aggressive borers in pines and attack and develop in all species of yellow pine, eastern white pine, and spruces. They initially attack the mid and lower trunk but the infestation spreads up and down the tree over time

I'm thinking that if that sap flow is related to beetles,they may be a separate issue.If because of severe environmental conditions the trees are stressed,they are prone to beetle attack.''Generally''Healthy pines are capable of withstanding minor attacks Unless beetles numbers are in epidemic porportions.That would be evident visually...What to do?Like raintree said...Not enough info

 

[Urban Forester]

Pitch canker is also a possibilty. An up close of that trunk would help.

 

[redheadwoodshed]

This looks and sounds like a pine beetle problem from the information presented.I'm not familiar with white pines, but in yellow pines, in the south, there will sometimes be little piles of saw dust around the base of the tree.The first indication of a problem will be one or two limbs turning brown one year then the rest of the foliage the next year.The infestation doesn't always go from one tree to the next one over, but the next tree affected may be many yards away, skipping around.Very hot dry summers may slow them down.

I would like to ask the forum, if it is beetles, is there a remedy?

 

[hardpan]

I am not an arborist or tree doctor but I have had this exact problem for many years with my red pine and white pine. I planted mine in 1987. I have asked questions locally and most say to cut them down and plant something different, that pine doesn't belong here because much of our soil here is hard clay, the roots can't penetrate and stay shallow and can't support a large tree so they do well when they are small but weaken with age and and then become suseptable to disease and insects. Of course there are exceptions with the soil in the sandy or loamy river bottoms and a few other places. When I cut the dead ones I always find the trunks riddled with borers. I'm too stubborn to give up and cut them all so I experiment with systemic insecticide. I have been using imidicloprid (spelling?) found in Grub-Ex but now I see they have switched to another chemical. I sprinkle 1 or 2 cups of the granules beneath each tree. I have slowed the progression but have not stopped it and I'm thinking about filling in for the dead trees with eastern red cedar a little at a time. Good luck.

 

[JOE.G]

I have the same Problem, i Have White Pines mixed in on the Border of Of my lawn on three sides, I also have some behind the border in the fields, Random ones have been dying off, I cut five down last fall. And I have two more to cut down this summer/fall, I also have two in the one field that will have to come down soon ( can't see them from my home so I am not two worried ). At first I thought that maybe they were fighting for sun with the Oaks and maples and what not, But the two in the field have full sun. WHat I have noticed now is holes a few mm in dia circling the tree, I am not sure if it is bugs or a wood pecker. Only one of the dead trees I cut down looked infected inside by a bore of some sort. But it does start with the lower branches dying.

 

[Urban Forester]

We have had fairly (depending on level of infestation) good success using Onyx (made by FMC) @ 24 oz per 100 gals. on both ips and dendroctonus. It is bifenthrin at 23.1% AI vs. Talstar @ 7.9%. It also has a bark penetrant that allows for good residual. Target adult flight time by species and treat. A recent study from Maryland found 100% control of bronze birch borer. Timing is the key as you need a 56 day lead time for bark penetration.

 

[Raintree]

It's always fun trying to play the guessing game with pics & limited info.

White pines are most happy thriving in the cool, moist, well drained low PH soils. If this is not your soil situation your pines can be stressed & vulnerable to attack. Do all you can to improve the growing environment & remove dead declining trees quickly for sanitation. Engage a competent Arborist to inspect the grove & diagnose any disease or insect problem.

Inner Bark Borers will leave a net work of galleries, pull off dried bark and look. The shape of these galleries can be used to ID the Beetle.

On a side note, years ago I was called in to troubleshoot a similar random Pine decline situation. Found that the wire baskets where never removed when planted 20 yrs ago. The wire now cutting into the stumps and with poor clay soil opened the trees up to Bark Beetle infestation.

 

[hardpan]

We have had fairly (depending on level of infestation) good success using Onyx (made by FMC) @ 24 oz per 100 gals. on both ips and dendroctonus. It is bifenthrin at 23.1% AI vs. Talstar @ 7.9%. It also has a bark penetrant that allows for good residual. Target adult flight time by species and treat. A recent study from Maryland found 100% control of bronze birch borer. Timing is the key as you need a 56 day lead time for bark penetration.

Is it necessary to drench the entire tree, or spray the bottom half of the trunk, or what? Is a granular version available for systemic? It is so much easier and cheaper than gearing up with the heavy duty spray equipment and then I still have the bad soil.

 

[avguy]

I appreciate the help thus far. I'm starting to get the feeling that there may not be an easy answer. Here are a couple close up pics of the trunk if they will help.

 

[pdqdl]

The foliage turning brown looks very much like the periodic needle drop that white pines are always doing. My understanding is that the needles stay on two years, and then they fall off. Without a better look, and watching the progress, I can't really say. I often get calls about that from customers, so I see it fairly often. It usually happens in late spring around here, but not always.

Notwithstanding all the other worthy posts, I don't see too much wrong in the pics you posted, although the base of the trunk doesn't look very good.

Pine borers are not too big a problem in our area, so I don't claim any real expertise on that topic.

 

[Urban Forester]

Is it necessary to drench the entire tree, or spray the bottom half of the trunk, or what? Is a granular version available for systemic? It is so much easier and cheaper than gearing up with the heavy duty spray equipment and then I still have the bad soil.

You treat where you see entrance holes from the adults. Mostly what we call a trunk wash. Its not systemic it penetrates only where its applied. No movement through zylem.