Seeking advice about a pine tree in our yard - Ask Extension
Hello. We have a mature pine tree in our yard (in Gaithersburg) that has begun producing a lot of sap and has a few branches where the needles have t...
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Seeking advice about a pine tree in our yard #877036
Asked July 12, 2024, 7:33 PM EDT
Hello. We have a mature pine tree in our yard (in Gaithersburg) that has begun producing a lot of sap and has a few branches where the needles have turned brown. There also are vines of ivy growing up the trunk. We would appreciate any guidance on what might be happening to our tree and what we might do to treat it. Thanks so much, Tirza
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Your tree looks like it is stressed and in decline.
Your photos are not clear enough and we are not able to enlarge them enough to determine exactly which evergreen that is.
From the looks of it though, it seems serious. The whole side appears to be thinning and most evergreens cannot grow new green growth from brown branches.
You could have a certified arborist come out and take a look and give you their thoughts, but it is probably not worth spending a lot of money trying to save it.
Here is our page that helps people decide when to remove a tree:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-do-you-decide-when-remove-tree/
If it's eventual fall would not threaten people or property it can be left in place, as declining/dying and dead trees have high value to wildlife. If you are concerned about it falling, you could always leave a 'snag', which is a partial trunk which is still valuable.
Christine
Your photos are not clear enough and we are not able to enlarge them enough to determine exactly which evergreen that is.
From the looks of it though, it seems serious. The whole side appears to be thinning and most evergreens cannot grow new green growth from brown branches.
You could have a certified arborist come out and take a look and give you their thoughts, but it is probably not worth spending a lot of money trying to save it.
Here is our page that helps people decide when to remove a tree:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-do-you-decide-when-remove-tree/
If it's eventual fall would not threaten people or property it can be left in place, as declining/dying and dead trees have high value to wildlife. If you are concerned about it falling, you could always leave a 'snag', which is a partial trunk which is still valuable.
Christine
