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Question from Frank, Enoch, UT (received 4/06/21) -

I am emailing you in hopes you would be able to help me identify an anomaly that I am having with my 10 yr old Austrian Pine. This tree has been fantastic as far as growth goes. It is located on the south side of our house and I noticed in the spring of 2020 that the very top singular growth branch at the very top of the tree turned brown and died off. I also noticed that the cones growing on the tree have not been as heavy as I have seen in past years. In fact, almost non-existent.

Austrian pine yellowing at tips

Fast forward to this year, and as you can see from the pictures that the dead branches have spread. Is this a sign of the drought conditions we are experiencing in Utah or is it tree stress, lack of water, or possibly some kind of parasite or disease? I'm driving around Cedar City and I have also noticed this on numerous Austrian pines. I am hopeful you can offer me some advise on treatment or what you feel would be the best course of action. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks,

Frank

Answer from Dr. Mike Kuhns, USU Extension Forester and Professor (sent 4/07/21) -

Hi Frank, Those dead branches are possibly due to some kind of shoot borer. I suggest just watching to see if more branches become involved before treating that.

Water stress could also be involved and is fairly likely an issue. Where you live in Enoch, most trees get less water naturally from precipitation than they need to survive. The only reason they survive in such a dry place is because we water them. It doesn’t matter much to the tree whether there is a drought happening that is severe or mild as long as we give them enough water. They need to have enough water to have it soak in a foot deep or more under most of the tree’s canopy. Though this is not a very large tree, it is fairly good sized and it could use and might need up to 100 gallons of water a day in the heat of summer. Therefore you might want to water more often or more heavily. Lack of water also can make trees more susceptible to insect attack.