pine dying

[Blowdown1]

I have a mature loblolly on which the needles started dying this summer. Now, almost the whole tree is covered in red, wilted needles. I see that pine wilt will sometimes affect loblollys and we have a lot of pine sawyer grubs around as a result of lots of downed pines from hurricane Isabel two years ago.

Is there any other likely cause for this, and is it pretty much a certainty that the tree is dead at this point?

 

[treeseer]

Yes if all the needles are red or brown the tree is dead. PM Dadatwins on this site; he's in your area, and will know what to do with your other trees to keep them healthy.

 

[Dadatwins]

Most likely dead, need to get rid of it and any old pine wood laying around to prevent the spread into any neighboring living pine. Pine beetles and grubs will quickly seek out living pine once the host is dead.

 

[Blowdown1]

I went out and took a look (and listen) this afternoon. There are a number of pencil-size holes in the bark and I could hear a steady munching, almost like a loud clock ticking.

There is frass here and there on the bark and I noticed a spot at ground level where the bark was loose and there is considerable frass. I'm hoping it is sound enough to simply fall it into the yard and not have to take it down in sections. Thanks for the advice.

 

[treeseer]

I'm hoping it is sound enough to simply fall it into the yard and not have to take it down in sections. .

It is, if it is done with care by a professional, and nothing fragile gets hit.

It's best to have all your trees checked out, so you know how to save money anbd trees by timely care (a lot of which you can do yourself)

I cut down a dead pine today; you could hear the munching 50 feet away.

 

[Blowdown1]

I'm not too worried about it hitting anything other than our blueberry bushes. It is away from the house and has a slight lean towards the area that is wide open. We have quite a few white pines that are in varying conditions and some will soon have to come down as a result of storm damage.

We already lost ~52 trees during Isabel and a couple others prior to that. That is why losing this one which is actually in the yard and is a nice big tree is such a bite in the a$$.

 

[treeseer]

We have quite a few white pines that are in varying conditions and some will soon have to come down as a result of storm damage. .

Is this fact or opinion?

That's why I recommend that a professional look at all your trees. Those trees may be pruned this winter to help them recover from Isabel (whose work I got to know well in Midlothian and Richmond)

 

[Blowdown1]

Fact. One is dead (long before Isabel), one is a snag that keeps getting worse as it continues to lean farther into two more trees and is starting to push them over, and one is just ugly after having the top and many branches taken out from the storm and it just keeps getting worse.

Believe me, I won't be taking out anything that doesn't need to go. I am desperately trying to save as many trees as possible and have been planting others and thining pioneers in an attempt to create some nice stands in the areas that got wiped out in Isabel.

 

[treeseer]

OK I believe ya. Nothin uglier than a busted up white pine is there? If you do want a consultation/high pruning visit this winter, give me a shout. I'll be up there around christmas.

 

[Blowdown1]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I'm even keeping most of the ugly ones, at least until they look like they're gonna give up the ghost. I tried to add an aerial picture of the property. The boomerang shaped stand of trees in the middle w/ the dot is my backyard. The entire vertical leg of the boomerang no longer exists (about .6 acre of trees in one spot plus a dozen or so more elsewhere on the property were lost)

 

[treeseer]

(about .6 acre of trees in one spot plus a dozen or so more elsewhere on the property were lost)

Time to replant then eh? I've got some Pterocarya and Melea that'll grow 6'/yr...