Hello Gwen,

Based on what I see in your images - some of which are shaded or blurred - I think this tree is a pine. It would be helpful if I knew the species

Can you please go to the: A crash course in pine ID section at the below link - The most common pines in residential and commercial landscapes in Michigan are eastern white pine, Austrian pine, and Scots (or Scotch) pine. Unlike many other conifers, needles on pine trees are clustered together in groups called fascicles. Determining the number of needles in a fascicle is the first step in identifying pines. White pines have five needles in each fascicle. The needles are thin and soft and often pale green. White pines have long (4” or longer), slender cones. Austrian pine and Scots pines are part of a group known as hard pines along with our native jack pine and red pine. Hard pines have two or three needles in each fascicle. Scots pines have shorter (1 1/2'” or less) needles and smaller cones than Austrian pines. Older Scots pines have orange-reddish bark, whereas the bark on Austrian pines is grey. You will see images at the below link:

Go to this link: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_are_my_pine_trees_turning_brown

Please let me know the species (Austrian, Scots, or White) and I will get back to you with suggestions - Thanks!!

Hello Gwen,

Thanks for the additional images!!

I think we can safely identify your pine as an Austrian pine

I don't think this is the issue with your pine - I just wanted you to be aware of:

Environmental–related issues - Conifers located along the road can be damaged by road salt. Road crews apply sodium chloride and other deicing materials to keep roads clear in the winter. Many plants, especially eastern white pine, are sensitive to salt spray from roadways. Acute damage caused by direct salt exposure is easy to spot since the damage is usually greatest on the side of the trees facing the road. Sensitive trees such as white pine can usually survive one year’s damage but repeated acute damage can ultimately disfigure or kill trees.

Another culprit is winter injury. Many conifers are subject to needle drying of winter burn during the winter. The most common symptom of winter burn is brown or red foliage on the exposed (often south) side of the tree. In some cases, trees will have a snowline below which no damage occurs since those needles were under snow when the rest of the tree was drying. Winter burn occurs frequently on dwarf Alberta spruce but can occur on other conifers as well.

In addition, several possible fungal pathogens can cause these symptoms as well.

All three (3) of the below diseases might be the problem with your pine tree

Dothistroma needle blight: Austrian pine is commonly affected by Dothistroma needle blight. The foliage of the lower half of the tree turns brown from March to April. Dothistroma needle blight is caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella pini. This common pine pathogen kills needles of all ages and can weaken or kill Austrian pine trees. Characteristic symptoms of Dothistroma infection are the presence of needles showing browning at the tip of the needle while the base of the needle remains green. The black fruiting bodies of the fungus can be seen in the dead spots or bands on the needles. Dothistroma spores spread by wind and rain and can infect needles throughout the growing season. New needles are susceptible once they emerge from the needle sheaths. The black fruit bodies appear in the fall; however, the spores are released the following spring and summer. The best protection of new needles can occur when applying copper-based fungicides as the new needles emerge from the needle sheaths and as the spores are released from the fruiting bodies. This is usually June and July. Reports suggest that pruning infected branches help reduce disease.

Brown spot needle blight: Brown spot needle blight (Mycosphaerella dearnessii, syn. Scirrhia acicola) is relatively new to Scots pine in Michigan. Needle spots can appear on needles at any time of the year, but most commonly occur during August and September when trees suddenly turn brown just before growers are ready to harvest. Short-needled Scots pine varieties such as Spanish and French-green are more susceptible to fungal attack than the long-needled varieties. Brown spot can be controlled by fungicidal sprays. The first application should be applied when the new needles are about half-grown (May-June), and a second spray three to four weeks later. The spray interval may need to be shortened in rainy conditions.

Lophodermium needlecast: Lophodermium is a severe needlecast of Scots pine, which in some cases can cause the entire tree to brown in spring. Even though we see the symptoms of Lophodermium in spring, the most important time to protect trees is from the end of July through September. This is when needles are infected from spores being released by the small, shiny, football-shaped, black fruiting bodies that form on the fallen needles. To break this disease cycle, the time to manage this disease with a fungicide is particularly in late July and throughout August, but maybe even into fall if the weather stays warm and moist.

Pine Tree Disease Overview

Disease: Dothistroma needle blight

Symptoms appear: March/April

Species: Primarily Austrian but also on Red pine, Scots pine

Timing of control: May - July

Disease: Lophodermium needlecast

Symptoms appear: April/May

Species: Primarily Scots pine but also found on Austrian and Red pine

Timing of control: August - September

Disease: Brown spot needle blight

Symptoms appear: August/September

Species: Primarily Scots pine but also on Red pine, Austrian

Timing of control: May - June

All of the above information is at this link: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_are_my_pine_trees_turning_brown

You can help identify the disease your trees have by knowing the species of pine and the time of year you first see the symptoms. To confirm which needlecast disease you have, send a sample to MSU Diagnostic Services. The cost for a sample is $20.

You should get a confirmed diagnosis of the problems with your Pine tree from the MSU Diagnostic Plant Lab

MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics is no longer accepting walk-in consultations at this time. They are open for business for all samples that are dropped off or mailed to the lab. When submitting plant samples, they encourage clients to email digital images to accompany the physical samples. Images can be sent to <personal data hidden>.

From the lab: Please do not ship samples on Fridays. Due to the current COVID-19 circumstances, please allow additional processing time. They thank you for your patience and understanding.

There is a $20-25 dollar fee (if they need a sample sent). I am guessing that the lab will probably want a sample to look at under the microscope

Every sample must be accompanied by a completed submission form. Please place the form in a separate resealable bag to prevent it from getting damp or soiled.

The form is at this link:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/uploads/files/MSU-DS-Form-012-001-version6.0.pdf

Complete details of submitting a sample are at this link: https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/submit-samples/

ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO FIND AN ARBORIST AND GET AN ONSITE HEALTH ANALYSIS OF THE PINE TREE - IF YOU GET AN ARBORIST MAKE SURE HE OR SHE KNOWS INSECT PROBLEMS RELATED TO PINES (CONIFERS)

To Find An Arborist (by Zip Code) please go to this link: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/arboristsearch

Hope this helps!!

You are welcome - Have a great day!!