Why Your Tree is Turning Brown
Every fall spruce and pine trees come into balance by shedding interior needles and less productive limbs that are unable to be supported by the tree’s root system. This is a natural phenomenon and should not be confused with impacts from insect or disease. Trees that are in wet sites, have pushed a lot of new growth, or have had root damage generally show the most pronounced effects. Low and interior branches that have been trimmed back during the growing season or are growing in low light will also often be shed by the tree at this time.
Trees cannot move food around and it is for this reason if a portion of the tree is not making more energy than it is consuming it will be “kicked out.” The fact that we had heavy natural moisture this season has made the impacts of this phenomenon more pronounced than usual but this should not be cause for alarm. If your tree is showing brown and declining limbs from the top down, outside inward or has pitch masses on the main stem, you should call us for an evaluation, otherwise your tree is most likely coming into balance as a result of seasonal environmental conditions.