BP-34

Botany and Plant Pathology

Tree Diseases
Decline of White Pine in Indiana
Have you ever had a white pine that died for no apparent reason? If so, the tree
may have suffered white pine decline. This disorder has been a problem for many
landscapes in Indiana. Affected white pines show various symptoms of decline
or dieback. Sometimes trees appear healthy for a decade or more before decline
symptoms are noticed. Other pine species don’t appear affected by the disorder.
Symptoms
Declining trees usually look a paler green, or even yellowish, compared to healthy
Melodie Putnam, trees. Needles often are shorter than normal; sometimes the tips of needles turn
Director, Plant and Pest brown. Needles from the previous season often drop prematurely, giving the tree a
Diagnostic Laboratory, tufted appearance.
Gail Ruhl, With loss of needles, the tree has reduced ability to produce the energy it needs
Senior Plant Disease to survive. Reduced shoot growth (shortened internodes) is common on trees
Diagnostician experiencing decline.
With severe or compounding stress factors, the tree may gradually decline and
eventually die. Decline may be gradual or rapid, depending on the number and
severity of stress factors.
Trees less severely affected but under additional stresses may gradually decline
and eventually die. Decline may be gradual or rapid, depending on the number
and severity of stress factors.
Do not mistake annual needle drop for white pine decline. It is normal for conifers
to drop their oldest needles in the fall. This annual shedding occurs on all trees
at about the same time, and always occurs in the fall. An abnormal needle drop
would occur in the spring or summer, affecting only one or a few trees, rather than
all or most of them.
Injury from de-icing salt also causes the death of white pine needles and branches.
Symptoms from salt show up on the side of the tree closest to the salted road.
Trees closest to the road are mostseverely injured.
Environmental and Site-Related Factors
Pine species differ in their adaptation to various locations. Eastern white pines
grow best on deep, light, well-drained, and slightly acidic soils and are intolerant
of both drought and water retentive soils (“wet feet”). Most of the soils in Indiana
fall outside this optimum. This means these pines are subjected from the moment
they are planted to low levels of site-related stress. White pine tends to be
chlorotic (yellowed) on alkaline or compacted soils, or when planted where root
growth is restricted.

Purdue University • Cooperative Extension Service • West Lafayette, IN 47907

Many other factors besides soil type can contribute to
overall stress experienced by a tree, such as genetic
differences in ability to withstand stress; weather
conditions including excess rainfall, early fall or late
spring freezes, and drought; injury from de-icing salt;
planting pines in shade or too close together so self-
shading occurs; mechanical injury from construction,
lawn mowers, motorized string weeders, or animal
feeding; raising or lowering of soil levels due to
grading; and insects and disease.
Disease and Insect Factors
Trees under stress from environmental factors are
more susceptible to attack from insects and diseases.
These agents are not the principal cause for decline
but occur on the scene only after stress has occurred.
White pine root decline, caused by the fungus
Leptographium procerum (Verticicladiella procera)
attacks pines under stress from wounds or site factors.
Dieback can result from chocolate-colored cankers
that form at the base of affected trees. This disease
cannot be diagnosed based on symptoms alone;
laboratory tests are needed for confirmation. Contact
the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory for
information on sampling for this disease.
Recommendations
Remove and destroy dead white pines since dead
trees are attractive to bark-inhabiting insects that may
affect surrounding trees. Try to determine the cause
of decline or death and correct the problem before
planting another white pine in the same spot.
When planting white pines avoid low spots so that
trees are not standing in water after heavy rains, or
plant in an area that has good drainage. Don’t plant
on sites that have a high pH (greater than 7.0) or
where the pines are exposed to splash from de-icing
salt. Make sure the trees have plenty of space for
root expansion, and plant where they are not in deep
shade. Use proper planting methods (see Purdue
University bulletin HO-100, Planting Landscape
Trees and Shrubs) and provide adequate water,
especially during the first few years. Use mulch
around the tree base to conserve moisture and keep
weeds down.
If your site is unsuitable for a white pine, consider
another species. The tree you choose should be
adapted to the sites and soil types in which they are
planted. Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens), white
spruce, (P. glauca), and Norway spruce (P. abies) do
well in Indiana. If a deciduous alternative would be
acceptable, bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) has
very few disease or insect problems and has a nice
pyramidal shape. Larch (Larix decidua) also could be
planted.

RR 5/94
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