White pines dying in the mountains

I have noticed a lot of white pines dying lately here in the Union County area. It doesnt look like beetle kill, there arent any pitch tubes or signs of boring activity. It seems to affect smaller trees first but it's spreading to bigger white pines fast. Doesnt seem to affect other types of pine. Anyone know whats causing this?

Could have been that extreme drought last year. No rain from late August till end of November.

Stress and epps beetle are killing a lot of pines in central Ga.

Small ones first could fall inline with lack of rain.
Big trees have deeper roots to get water longer between rains.

You sure its white pines and not hemlock?

Hemlocks are getting whacked by Wooly Adelgid all across N GA. If it's smaller white pines, I'd suggest drought. Drought killed a bunch of my small loblolly last year in central GA and I suspect the same would happen in white pines.

http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com...cle_e9398178-1987-11e6-8f0b-0bab03cc2e74.html

ELkbane

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...FEBRUARY 9, 2017
GEORGIA'S DROUGHT USHERS IN BEETLE OUTBREAK
Georgia's ongoing drought has led to an unprecedented outbreak of destructive beetles that are
killing pine trees. Aerial surveys by the Georgia For
estry Commission show active infestations of Ips
engraver beetles in timber stands, primarily in north
and central Georgia. The pest's spread elsewhere,
however, can't be ruled.
"The lack of rain is causing long term damage to
trees," said Georgia Forestry Commission Forest
Health Coordinator Chip Bates. "We're seeing imm
ediate damage in the form of dying tree tops, brown
leaves and dropping needles. Without water, tree roots will suffer, and that's a perfect infestation
scenario for the Ips beetle."
According to Bates, colder winter temperatures
and more moisture customarily slow Ips engraver
beetle populations. In the past few years, very few Ips beetle spots were found and they did not
routinely pose the threat that's being seen this year. In January of 2017, surveys above Georgia's fall
line confirmed more than 200 Ips infestations, on tracts of five to 180 acres in size. More than 3,700
smaller spots on a quarter acre or less were recorded in central Georgia.
"These beetles feast on stressed trees, damaged branches and logging debris," said Bates.
"We're urging landowners to carefully survey their property now, and to contact a professional forester
about specific forest management strategies to deal with this problem."
Bates said Ips beetles invade trees from the top down. The beetles release a destructive fungus,
known as blue stain that impedes the flow of water and nutrients in the tree, which contributes to tree
mortality.
"Time is required for tree stands to recover to a healthy and vigorous condition capable of
withstanding natural and human-caused stress," said Bates. "There are certain forest management
activities that can slow or speed up the spread of these pests, which is why we're urging landowners to
contact a registered consulting forester (
http://gatrees.org/resources/directories/consulting-
For more information, contact:
Wendy Burnett
478.751.3535
wburnett@gfc.state.ga.us
foresters/index.cfm
) or their local GFC forester. We're here to help mitigate any issue that might
jeopardize Georgia's rich forest resource."
For more information about Ips engraver beetles and services of the Georgia Forestry
Commission, visit
GaTrees.org
.
# # #

I've noticed the same thing. We been cutting a ton of them lately. I'd say starting 2 to 3 years ago, and big ones. Cut several in the 3 to 4 ft diameter range. My Guess is that a lot of those have reached maturity since they don't have a long life span. Most have been in the 100 year old range. Now for the smaller ones, I'd say the drought has affect them. We went 3 months without and beneficial rain on top of a already dry summer last year and I think that is the problem. Was digging stumps last July and the ground was dry 3 and 4 ft deep. There will be a lot more die before its over.

Pines and cedar/junipers are dying all over South Georgia. From young trees all the way up mature ones. I routinely travel around Dublin all the way down to Arlington and Blakely, I see them dead everywhere.

tree cutter 08 said:

I've noticed the same thing. We been cutting a ton of them lately. I'd say starting 2 to 3 years ago, and big ones. Cut several in the 3 to 4 ft diameter range. My Guess is that a lot of those have reached maturity since they don't have a long life span. Most have been in the 100 year old range. Now for the smaller ones, I'd say the drought has affect them. We went 3 months without and beneficial rain on top of a already dry summer last year and I think that is the problem. Was digging stumps last July and the ground was dry 3 and 4 ft deep. There will be a lot more die before its over.

Click to expand...

I would Agee with this. I have some huge white pines on my place that have died in the last 1-10 years. 3' in diameter and 120' tall. What I did notice was about 3-4 years prior to them dying the areas around them became covered with new white pine saplings everywhere. Everything has a life expectancy and I think just before dying they seed heavy to start the cycle over. They small ones are thick but they seem to be thinning themselves out as they get bigger. The drought is a likely cause but I think a lot of it is just nature starting a new forest. Just the natural cycle of things. And when those big ones die it allows a lot of sunlight to available saplings. Just one fellers opinion

I know hemlocks I was a certified arborist till the ISA's dues got too high. I guess it is the drought though we've had a decent bit of rain here lately. Must be too little too late. I am seeing some yellow pines start to turn brown too but it seems to be the white pines suffering most around here.

Last fall's drought is the culprit. I've seen the same on Cohutta. Good riddance!

I had to remove 2 fig trees due to ambrosia beetles. Tree trunks look like toothpicks sticking out.

Cut them down to the ground and burnt them. The fig trees will come back from the roots. They are hardy.

It's the drought, and it's more than just white pines. There's a lot of rocky faces, especially those with southern exposure that have acres of trees dying. I know this spring has been pretty wet, but the water table still needs some help.