Why Is My Pine Tree Turning Brown? A Volusia County Checklist

A pine that turns brown is often already dying. As UF/IFAS and the Florida Forest Service explain, needles usually fade from green to yellow to reddish-brown, and by the time the whole crown is brown, any beetles involved have often already left. The good news is that the pattern of browning, and a few quick checks on the trunk, tell you a lot.

Step 1: Look at the pattern

• The whole crown is fading at once. This is the most serious pattern. It usually points to bark beetles, root problems, lightning or a hard drought, and the tree is often past saving.
• Browning from the top down. Often a sign of stress, such as lightning, drought or root damage, and beetles may follow.
• Scattered brown branches. Could be broken limbs, minor disease or localized damage. Worth watching, but less urgent.
• Only the oldest, inner needles are browning in fall. This is usually normal seasonal needle drop, not a problem.

Step 2: Check the trunk

• Pitch tubes: small blobs of whitish or reddish resin, usually under about an inch across, where beetles have bored in.
• Boring dust: reddish-brown sawdust on the bark, in crevices or at the base of the tree.
• Tiny exit holes: small round holes, 1 to 3 mm across, where beetles have come out.
• Galleries under loose bark: tunnels in the inner bark. Y-, I- or H-shaped tunnels point to Ips engraver beetles. Winding S-shaped tunnels that cross each other point to the southern pine beetle.

Step 3: Figure out if nearby pines are at risk

• Ips engraver beetles are the most common culprits in Florida. They usually attack pines already stressed by drought, flooding, lightning, storm damage or root disturbance. According to UF/IFAS, they don't usually spread to healthy neighboring pines.
• The southern pine beetle is rarer, but it's the only bark beetle in Florida that can spread fast and kill nearby healthy pines. Signs are many popcorn-like resin lumps in the crevices of the bark and winding S-shaped tunnels underneath. UF/IFAS advises homeowners north of Orlando, which includes Volusia County, to remove an infested tree right away and contact their county Extension office or the Florida Forest Service.

Common stressors that start the problem

• Drought, or a long dry spell
• Lightning strikes
• Root damage from construction, trenching or new driveways
• Soil filled or piled over the roots
• Flooding or standing water

When to call

Call for an inspection if the crown is turning brown fast, you see pitch tubes or boring dust, or the pine is close enough to hit your house, a driveway or a power line. A dead pine dries out and gets brittle quickly, which makes it riskier and harder to take down the longer it stands.

Sources: UF/IFAS FR399 (My Pine Is Under Attack); UF/IFAS IN701 (Ips engraver beetles); UF/IFAS IN333 (southern pine beetle); Florida Forest Service leaflets on Ips and southern pine beetle.