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Help for our Austrian Pine tree #934136

Asked June 04, 2026, 9:02 AM EDT

Our pine is growing beautifully but is full of rust colored needles. Please advise - Thank you

Chittenden County Vermont

Expert Response

Hello Lisa,

Thanks for reaching out to VT Extension!

This has been a very common problem over the last few years. This looks to me like White Pine Needle Disease.

Our friends at Penn Extension did a great guide for this: https://extension.psu.edu/eastern-white-pine-threats-to-a-historically-important-species

It's difficult to know without a laboratory test which disease in particular is impacting you tree, but if you scroll to the bottom of that article you'll find that the treatment for all of them is very similar: Prune out the dead branches, look for patterns of needle browning, and make sure that they're not overly shaded by nearby trees.

Maine also has this post which includes a link to their current research: https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/2024/06/28/is-there-a-remedy-for-pine-trees-that-have-lost-a-large-amount-of-needles/

I hope this helps! Let me know if there's any other specific guidance I can provide!

Cheers,Ricky, UVM Extension Master Gardener Volunteerwww.uvm.edu/extension/mastergardenerWe do not intend to endorse any products we mention or criticize products we do not mention. When we include a link to a resource that recommends a chemical, it is for informational purposes only; the chemicals may not be registered for use in Vermont. Replied June 05, 2026, 10:28 AM EDT

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