Most trees produce sap. Sap is essential to a tree. Roots take up water and nutrients, and this needs to be spread throughout the tree. Sap is a viscous liquid that carries nutrients throughout the tree to the areas where they are most needed.

Tree needles produce simple sugars that must get transported through the tree’s fibers. Sap also is the means of transportation for these sugars. Although many think of sap as a tree’s blood, it circulates through the tree much slower than blood circulates through the body.

Sap is mostly made up of water, but the sugar compound it carries makes it rich and thick – and prevents freezing in cold weather. Pine trees produce sap all year long but, during the spring and summer it is most prevalent.

Healthy trees drip a little sap, and it should not be a cause for concern if the bark looks healthy. However, sap loss can damage the tree. Excessive pine tree sap loss results from injuries like broken branches in a storm, pruning, or accidental cuts made by weed whackers. It can also result from borer insects that dig holes in the tree. Oozing of sap from the trunk of a pine tree can be an early sign of bark beetle damage. The sap accumulates near the bore hole in the bark and the sticky mess is called a "pitch tube." The pine produces excessive amounts of sap to protect itself against the bark beetle. Several types of beetles can attack pine. Keep your trees healthy with infrequent deep watering, keep lawn care products at a distance, try applying bark mulch around the perimeter.