Problems with pine trees

maxfax

Can you please help

I live in Ontario Canada and have two beautiful pine trees. They are showing signs of distress (I have enclosed photos).

One tree's branches are dying off and the remaining branches seem to be pointing/curving up.

I also found this weeping/bleeding growth on the bark of both trees?

Can you please give me some advice. I love these trees so much.

Attached Thumbnails

           

     

Brent Ferris

First off, these are both Spruce. THe blue needled is Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens), the second with the foliage that hangs down is a Norway Spruce (Picea abies).
The disease appears to be Cytospora, a disease that affects Spruce, pine, fir, Chamaecypress, Hemlock, but not Juniper or Cedar. White gum is normal, blue gray gum with little black dots (spore heads) indicates the disease, Additionally Cytospora starts killing the foliage in the small branches, and then kills the whole branch. Occasionally the top will die first (and if removed immediately, sometimes the tree will live), but more commonly branches die thru the crown, and especially the lower branches.

Removing the dead and dying branches will make you feel better, and make the tree look better, but very seldom does anything to stop the progression of the disease. If you clean up all fallen needles, and remove the dead and dying branches, and all apparent sporulating heads, you might slow it down.
If you compost, some people speculate that there might be bacteria in the compost that could combat the disease, that might be absorbed into the tree's vascular system and save the tree. I have not yet heard of that working, but it sounds good,
SOme people talk about spraying - save your money, this disease works from the inside out, so most pesticides will have little affect. I have talked to a number of people that have paid a lot to have the trees sprayed with no discernible improvement .

The compost idea sounds good; sanitation helps some, but the only sure way to get rid of the disease, is to get rid of the tree and stump, and ensure that your neighbours do the same. The main two reasons it is so prevalent -- people keep the trees in the dying condition until they are dead (so the airborne spores spread for years) and overplanting of the same species., I have been in backyards where people have 10 or more same species, and when a disease hits, all the trees are wiped out.

Colorado Blue Spruce is most susceptible to the disease (the bluer ones seem most susceptible) -- Norway spruce (and White Spruce) are semi-resistant, and can hold out for quite a while, up to 20 years. Colorado Spruce usually die within 5-10 years. Sorry for the bad news!

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If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

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Garry Brockley

Great Info there treeshaveneeds and well explained

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Eric Frei

Is there browning going on?

Is it like in this link ...

http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactS...g/cytotwig.htm

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Brent Ferris

Right on the money Eric. That is probably the disease, but the browning I see is a lot more rampant than the minuscule amount in the photo in the link.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Eric Frei

So the trees go in masses, like with the EAB problem.

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dcarter

THN, Do you know if there have ever been any large kills (several hundred acres or more) in Hemlock or Sprucce stands in the Appalachian Mtns. I was curious as I have seen pretty large stands of Spruce and Hemlock there and noted the gum, but never specifically looked for disease as I was on vacation and therefore, not being paid, lol. I'd hate to see a prolific disease wipe out a large forest. Fortunately those are mix aged, mix species stands. Thanks, Mike