"Most of their problems trace back to last summer’s drought or to winter’s cold temperatures. The tan to brown color usually indicates surface foliage damage. With some of the pines and spruces, however, our diagnoses are less encouraging," said Ned Tisserat, K-State Research and Extension plant pathologist.

County Extension agents and district foresters with the Kansas Forest Service both forward samples from local citizens to the campus. They also provide the lab with on-site visual reports and can help individual Kansans learn about alternatives for dealing with damaged trees.

"Scots pines throughout the state still seem to be taking a beating. As usual, pinewood nematodes are causing many of the fatalities. But, Scots pines are sensitive to extreme drought and high temperatures. So, I suspect some current damage is the result of dry conditions that started last summer," Tisserat said.

Beyond that, northwest district forester Jim Strine is reporting fairly widespread winter damage among the Scots pine trees there, with needle scorch on southwest-facing branches fairly typical.

"The branch tip die-back occurring on Austrian pines is often more serious, though," Tisserat said. "Last season’s shoot growth tends to die when Austrian pines go through a cold winter. Apparently, new growth can’t always acclimate for winter properly, so you’re left with two-year-old wood.

"If this happens to the leader on top, the result can be like pruning or topping out a tree. You can get multiple tops that are structurally weaker, so may break more easily during storms."

In contrast, die-back at the top of spruces often signals more die-back to come. The trees may not survive, the plant pathologist warned.

Otherwise, however, this kind of damage isn’t always as bad as it looks.

"The cast needles may look purple. The needle drop itself may be uniform throughout the tree or concentrated on just a few south-facing branches," Tisserat said. "But what’s important is whether the branches also are brittle and dry. If so, they won’t produce new leaves. If not, they’ll start producing new growth this spring."