I don't like what I see in my pines

[Silentrunning]

I live in Northernmost North Carolina. Today I went into the woods to harvest a pine tree for my wagon restoration project. As I was looking for just the right size tree I noticed the end of several branches laying on the ground. As I went through the woods I found most of the pine trees had the last one or two feet of branches laying on the ground with the green needles still attached. When I looked at the branch where it detached it looks almost as if it was cut part way through. I also noticed 2 large pines that died this year but still had their cones attached. I sure hope this isn't going to be something like what happened to elm and chestnut trees years ago.

 

[Chuck]

I live in Northernmost North Carolina. Today I went into the woods to harvest a pine tree for my wagon restoration project. As I was looking for just the right size tree I noticed the end of several branches laying on the ground. As I went through the woods I found most of the pine trees had the last one or two feet of branches laying on the ground with the green needles still attached. When I looked at the branch where it detached it looks almost as if it was cut part way through. I also noticed 2 large pines that died this year but still had their cones attached. I sure hope this isn't going to be something like what happened to elm and chestnut trees years ago.

What you are seeing is a common sight throughout the south and is caused by what is known as a Twig Girdler, an insect that lays its eggs under the bark of a soon to be cut limb. Then the eggs hatch on the ground and overwinter in the soil.

 

[Silentrunning]

What you are seeing is a common sight throughout the south and is caused by what is known as a Twig Girdler, an insect that lays its eggs under the bark of a soon to be cut limb. Then the eggs hatch on the ground and overwinter in the soil.

Thanks Chuck. Since I have never had this type of pine before I was totally unaware of this. The two dead ones were probably at the end of their life cycle. I will chop them down and use the lumber on my projects.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck. Since I have never had this type of pine before I was totally unaware of this. The two dead ones were probably at the end of their life cycle. I will chop them down and use the lumber on my projects.

It is not just pines that are chewed on. Oaks, persimmon, hackberry, cedar elm,in fact just about all southern trees can be affected. About the only thing one can do about these things is to pick up and burn the dropped chewed off pieces. On a side note many times folks are fooled into thinking that they have twig girdlers when what is going on is that squirrels are doing the exact same thing. The way to tell is the chewed portion looks like it was done by a computerized machine of some sort when it is the twig girdler doing the chewing. A squirrels damage looks more ragged.

 

[Silentrunning]

It is not just pines that are chewed on. Oaks, persimmon, hackberry, cedar elm,in fact just about all southern trees can be affected. About the only thing one can do about these things is to pick up and burn the dropped chewed off pieces. On a side note many times folks are fooled into thinking that they have twig girdlers when what is going on is that squirrels are doing the exact same thing. The way to tell is the chewed portion looks like it was done by a computerized machine of some sort when it is the twig girdler doing the chewing. A squirrels damage looks more ragged.

I would bet money it is the girdles. If you look at the cut end of the twig it looks as if someone used one of those rotating pipe cutters on it until it broke off. Very neat and clean. Do these critters have any relationship to fall web worms? They were especially bad this year my neighbors tell me.

 

[Chuck]

I would bet money it is the girdles. If you look at the cut end of the twig it looks as if someone used one of those rotating pipe cutters on it until it broke off. Very neat and clean. Do these critters have any relationship to fall web worms? They were especially bad this year my neighbors tell me.

Yep, it's strange how a tiny insect knows how and can cut a 3/4 inch limb with such detail. Web worms/bag worms have nothing to do with girdlers. An over abundance of web worms means that the wasp population is down. When you get a chance bust open one of the webs and watch what happens.

 

[roadrunner]

Since getting into hiking, I've learned to hate pine trees; these trees are the most dangerous to camp under/around. They are always dropping large limbs, if not completely falling. It happens more often than you think, that a hiker is killed in their tent from a tree/limb fall and many times it's a pine tree.

There's a house down the street that I pass every day and they have at least a dozen pine trees surrounding their house and ever since Hurricane Matthew last year I notice at least three with dangerous leans and as luck would have it, they are leaning directly towards the house. Then we had Hurricane Irma and those trees are leaning even more now, so much so that I can see the rootballs pushing up the lawn.

I'm so tempted to knock on their door and ask why they're not getting those trees cut down -- it's absolutely incredible and it's only a matter of time before those trees come down --- I really should go take a picture.

 

[Silentrunning]

Roadrunner, you are correct about the dangers of Pines. They are however a necessary evil. No other tree is as marketable for construction as the Pine. Many of my Pines are over 50' tall and perfectly straight. That's a lot of 2x4s. As a hunter I share your awareness of the dreaded "widow makers" in my woods.