# Pine trees "yellowing"



## da new guy (Mar 6, 2010)

I've noticed that a few of my pine trees are turning yellow and losing needles pretty bad. Does anyone know what could be causing this and if there is anything I can do to save the trees? I have seen this elsewhere , I am wondering if this is normal? I live near Dundee just to give a geographical location.


----------



## KalamazooKid (Jun 20, 2005)

Normal for them to shed needles in the fall.


----------



## Outdoor2daCore (Nov 8, 2010)

Well I would say they are tamaracks whom are conifers that do lose needles but not sure about that, might be dying or could be another breed that loses needles


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## thumbgoodfisherman (Dec 6, 2005)

My pines are really dropping needles more than usual. My shed roof is completely covered.


----------



## eucman (Jan 24, 2009)

They look like white pines. It's normal for evergreens to shed older, interior needles in the fall.


----------



## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

eucman said:


> They look like white pines. It's normal for evergreens to shed older, interior needles in the fall.


The white pine in my back yard is dropping interior needles. The problem with the trees in the picture is that it is not the interior needles that are dying it is the tips.

Some thing is seriously wrong but I can be of no help is telling what. This is just a guess. The one in the foreground looks like it is dying mainly on one side. Maybe some pest has gotten into the root collar on that side of the tree.


----------



## Curt (Jan 5, 2011)

It looks to me like the needles at the end of the branches are still green. Next spring you should have new growth at those ends. 
They are definitely White Pines.


----------



## da new guy (Mar 6, 2010)

Yes they are white pines but I don't remember them changing like this ladt year. Someone suggested that I put down a mulch ring to help. I will try that because almost all the trees in my yard are young growth and I want to establish as many good ones as I can. The person who we bought this house from planted ALOT of trees but most of them are junk in my mind because the trunk on most of them forks right at the ground causing it to have 2 trunks and therefore weakens them in my mind at least

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Pine, spruce, fir and cedar needles are just leaves that last for several years before falling off. Any given needle will last only so long on any given species and some years the needle drop is more noticeable than others, especially on white pine and cedar. I have no idea why but it sure does happen. If the needles were turning brown there certainly would be cause for concern but the yellow that appears in the pictures is the normal color for a naturally occurring fall needle drop. 
[/COLOR] 
A word of caution concerning a mulch ring, actually two words: Field mice. Young white pine have very soft bark that is easily damaged so be careful about giving pests a comfy living room right next to the dining hall. Weed whipping around young white pine sems to require more care than working around some other species too. 

When it gets closer to the end of the month take another picture of these trees and post it for us, if you would. FM


----------



## Downriver Tackle (Dec 24, 2004)

Perfectly normal. I have about 50 whites on my property of all ages and the more mature the tree becomes, the more they shed. That's why it seems worse now. Mine don't usually shed much until they're about 6' tall. After that, it increases every year. Just be sure to leave the needles where they fall. That's the trees natural winter insulation for their roots, since pines usually have shallow root systems. This is my biggest white and you can see that the needles yellow even on the tips.


----------



## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

As others have posted, White Pines shed a lot of needles in the fall. That being said, they also like to grow in the shade of other larger trees until they are about 20 - 25 feet tall. Your small trees look like they are more in the open. This would cause them to grow faster than normal (from more sunlight), but perhaps is also causing them to shed more needles than they normally would if they grew in shadier areas. Give them some time and see what happens. Trees don't like major change once they are established.


----------



## DeerManager (Oct 4, 2006)

Mine in Lachine (alpena) are doing it as well.


----------



## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

my whites are also dropping older needles.

There is a disease affecting pines called "needle drop" I've heard other names too but it's really bad. You'll notice the difference though as new needles will also drop and the tree usually ends up dying if not treated. They have to be treated with a fungicide.


----------



## stillfish (Dec 5, 2005)

Also, the needles at acid to the soil. Which pines love..


----------



## James Dymond (Feb 23, 2002)

da new guy said:


> Yes they are white pines but I don't remember them changing like this ladt year. Someone suggested that I put down a mulch ring to help. I will try that because almost all the trees in my yard are young growth and I want to establish as many good ones as I can. The person who we bought this house from planted ALOT of trees but most of them are junk in my mind because the trunk on most of them forks right at the ground causing it to have 2 trunks and therefore weakens them in my mind at least
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


A lot of white pines have a bug that kills the top and then they shoot other growth to take the place of the top that was killed. Jim

P.S. right Forest Meister?


----------



## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

James Dymond said:


> A lot of white pines have a bug that kills the top and then they shoot other growth to take the place of the top that was killed. Jim
> 
> P.S. right Forest Meister?


What you are describing is white pine weevil, a very distructive pest. This tiny bug will infect the tallest new growth known as the terminal or "leader" and kills it during mid summer. Lateral branches from the highest live whorl then turn upward to produce several new leaders. This new growth then competes for dominance. In open grown trees (where the weevil is most likely to be a problem) several parallel leaders generally develop and each one acts like a main leader causing the tree to bush out. If you use a little imagination and the infestation has occurred over the span of several years these trees might remind you of cabbages ("cabbage pine"). A little time and a pair of hand nippers can easily correct the defect if taken care of within a couple of years. 

WP weevils can and do attack taller trees but seldom infect the leaders of trees over 12'-15' tall or white pines grown in partial shade. WP weevil prefer white pines exposed to direct sunlight but will also attack some of the introduced spruces like blue and norway and several species of pine. I have seen some damage in both scots and jack pines.

Now, after all that, WP weevil is definitely not what is shown in the pictures. FM


----------



## Spacepuppy (Apr 27, 2013)

eucman said:


> They look like white pines. It's normal for evergreens to shed older, interior needles in the fall.


 What he said 

Sent from my PC36100 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------

