We have a white pine tree about 6' tall that is turning brown on one side only. The brown needles go all the way from top to bottom. The brown side is the side facing away from our garage. Any ideas on what might have caused this and whether or not this tree can be saved? The tree was planted in Feb. or March, 2006. Thanks!
so it was planted in May? the best time to plant trees is in late fall/early winter when the tree is dormant. could you post a picture of it?
Not enough information to suggest anything specific. Might be obvious what direction to pursue to an expert visiting the site, from some clue visible only there. Otherwise it could be a locally prevalent condition - for instance there has been alot of a different kind of browning of ponderosa pines around here in recent years, no doubt a syndrome that has been identified and is by now familiar to those 'in the know' here - that would be easy to recognize because it was familiar. Or, it might be something specific to what your tree has experienced, rather than a problem that is sweeping through the most of them in your area.
One side suggests a disease of or spread by the vascular system from the roots. A fungus in the soil that found a way in? Phytophthera lateralis makes the growing of Chamaecyparis vars. almost impossible in our area.
