Tree Identification
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Pinus strobus - Eastern white pine
5 needles per fascicle
Cones at the base of a tree
Mature form of white pine with typical nearly horizontal and ascending "stag horn" branches.
Bark on a mature white pine
Winter damage - tree is very close to a steam tunnel vent
All Images By: Dave Hanson
  • Characteristics
  • Disease Management
  • Links
Eastern white pine is the soft-spoken, whispering pine of the north woods. This tree was highly sought after in the early lumbering years of the U.S. and nowhere does it stand with its original grandeur

Large tree height: 50-80'
Canopy spreads: 20-40', Pyramidal crown
Flowers: Monoecious
Drought Tolerance: Intolerant
Shade Tolerance: Intolerant as it ages
Soil pH Tolerance: Intermediate to high pH
Poor Soil Drainage: Intolerant to flooding
Salt Tolerance:

Tolerant to salt spray and Tolerant to soil salts

There are several varieties to be found in the nurseries, best planted in open expanses of large yards and parks. Prefers sandy loam soils that are moist, yet well drained, and it is not the best choice for the salt spray conditions found near roadways.

Did you know
One of the driving forces behind the American Revolution was the King's claim to Eastern White Pine. The trees were emblazoned with the King's broad arrow and all were reserved for naval uses. See related TCA newsletter below for details.

DISEASE SYMPTOMS MANAGEMENT
Brown spot, Mycosphaerella dearnessi Fungi
Most pine, esp. Scots and ponderosa. Spots that enlarge to bands and encircle the needle develop in late July and August. Diseased needles often have dead tips. Killed needles drop late in the fall. Nurseries should use seedlings from resistant trees; allow for adequate spacing and avoid shearing and other operations when foliage is wet.

CHEMICAL: Mancozeb.
Dothistroma needle blight
(also called red band), Mycosphaerella pini
Fungi
Two-and three-needled pines are affected but most common on Austrian pine. Chlorotic spots appear on infected needles in fall and winter. Spots spread, turn red/brown and girdle needles causing the distal end to die. Black fruiting bodies break through lesion surface in spring. Defoliation can be severe. Remove the lowest whorl of branches on young trees. Clean out debris and weeds in and around trees. Space plants for good air circulation. Avoid planting in low-lying areas with poor drainage. Growers should shear trees during dry weather.

CHEMICAL: Bordeaux (8-8-100). Can be toxic to new needles.
Needlecast, Lophodermium seditiosum Fungi
Two-and three-needled pines, esp. Austrian red and Scots pine. Current season foliage develops yellow spots which turn brown with yellow margins in late fall and spring. Black, elliptical fruit bodies mature in or just beneath the epidermis in late summer. Needles brown and drop. Twigs die back. Spores are released during late summer/early fall rains with most infection occurring in August and September. Improve air circulation with thinning and pruning: cool moist environments favor infection.

CHEMICAL: Nurseries should apply mancozeb plus a spreader sticker or chlorothalonil. Make 3-4 applications starting July 1.
PPine needle rust, Coleosporium sp. Fungi
Two-and three-needle pines develop light-colored blisters which burst open to release yellow/orange spores in early summer. These spores infect the alternate hosts aster and goldenrod and NOT pine. Damage is seldom detrimental. Remove or mow goldenrod and aster plants in the immediate vicinity.

CHEMICAL: None recommended.
Pine-oak gall rust or eastern gall rust, Cronartium quercuum Fungi
Two-and three-needled pines are susceptible. The alternate host is red oak. Globose swellings up to 10 inches in diameter form on pine branches. Yellow/orange powdery-appearing spores form on the gall surface in early summer. Remove galls on pine branches preferably before spring.

CHEMICAL: None recommended. However, if the situation warrants, mancozeb may be applied when yellow pustules form on pine galls.
Pine-pine gall rust or western gall rust, Endocronartium (Peridermium) harknessii Fungi
Two-needled pines, especially mugho, ponderosa, red and Austrian pine. There is no alternate host. Rough, globose galls appear on branches and trunk. Yellow/ orange powdery spores form on the gall surface in early summer. Remove galls on infected trees. Remove all trees with galls for a distance of 300 yards around nurseries and cull infected seedlings.

CCHEMICAL: Mancozeb when yellow spores are present on galls.
Shoot (Diplodia) blight, Sphaeropsis sapinea Fungi
New shoots are invaded and killed in the spring, usually before needle expansion is complete. Needles turn brown; resin soaking is common. Dieback may progress into main stem. Fruiting bodies form at the base of infected needles, on twigs and on second year cones. Austrian pine is extremely susceptible after reaching cone-bearing age. Keep landscape trees well watered and stress free. Thin forest stands. Avoid shearing during wet weather or high humidity. Plant less susceptible pine species.

CCHEMICAL: Benomyl, thiophanate-methyl. Begin when new growth starts. Use a spreader sticker. Also Bordeaux.
White pine blister rust, Cronartium ribicola Fungi
Five-needled pines are susceptible (eg. eastern white pine, limber pine). Elongate cankers with abundant pitch flow develop on trunks and branches causing branch dieback or ãflagging.ä White blisters containing yellow/orange spores break through the cankered areas in the spring. Spores produced on pine infect the alternate host, Ribes species. Minimize use of white pine on sites with high blister, rust hazard ratings. Avoid planting currants and gooseberries in the vicinity of white pine. Remove the lower branches on large trees. Scout trees annually for ãflaggingä suggestive of early infection and remove infected branches.

CCHEMICAL: Triadimefon.


Related Forest Service Christmas Tree Pest Manual. (view Pest Manual)