Think these trees will make it?

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Greg K

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

We had a bit of a hail storm back in August that damaged these pine and spruce trees. Now it's February and this is what they look like. My plan is to wait and see how they do before removing any, but what in your guy's experience should I expect them to do? Is there anything I can do to improve their chances?

 

Janicholson

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

If the temp is above freezing you should be able to find life if the twigs that had needles are flexible. If they snap easily they are likely dead. I would still wait till late spring to see if they get some regrowth. If not they aren't going to make it. Some growth to the ends of major laterals indicate the recovery will be OK but might take 2 or three years to get as green as it was. Jim

 

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

We don't have spruce trees here in south Alabama but we do have some severe hail storms at times and the pines here always survive through it, believe your pines will be okay. Nice Farmall tractor with loader that you have, wished it was at my place.

 

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Wardner

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

The spring buds were formed last summer. Chances are they are dead too.

To check for vitality, scrape some brown bark with a fingernail on a small branch to see if you can find any green cambrium. Do that on a known live branch so you know what you are looking for. The cambrium layer is what deer and rodents like to eat in the winter.

 

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

Might not be dead, but they'll be as ugly as pelosi, no matter what kind of surgery you do to them. That kind of ugly is permanent!

 

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GordoSD

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

Where are you? Looks like bark beetles in those two pines. The cedar and spruce are history. Go out in the forest and get replacements for them.
Cut remove and burn the pines. Spray the ground where they fell with a good insecticide.

 

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Greg K

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

And from the day itself

 

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Greg K

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

thanks, but she could sure win an ugly contest (got to be careful tractors have feelings ya know). Brought it up close to the house expecting 12" of snow today, but only got rain fortunately. The weather guessers missed again

 

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Greg K

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2012

• #1

I am in NE NE. the brown needles you see are only on the north side of the trees, the direction the hail came from. Some of them are almost all brown, but most are just mostly on the north side. By the way no forest here to get more from, you know, SD isn't much different on that level. They are good wind proection since the nest trees are a mile west or so, and I really hate to lose them so I have started planting some new ones 1 1/2 years ago but they are only 2' tall.

 

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Have you had a drought.?

 

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Daryl in PA

Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Are you sure you don't have a infestation of bagworms. They will wipe out trees just like that.

 

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NW Ohio Tim

Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

I think they'll make it, they won't thrive for a few years but they'll come back. We had a pretty nice spruce got busted up when we were bulding the new house. It's been about seven years and it's kust getting filled back in and starting to grow again. I have to say it wasn't as bad as yours though.

Give them a year and see what happens, you won't be out much if you have to replace them, a year isn't much to a tree.

Good luck

Tim

 

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don t-9n180179

Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

My 1st thought was bugs til I read the text. I've got pines similar to those in the last pics. Im gonna cut them down this spring. Hate to lose em too.

 

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James Howell

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Pine trees will make it, but might not be as pretty.

Pines lose limbs quite often, but continue to grow.

When the pine bark peels off the trunk you will know that it is dead.

 

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1936

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Tree by the tractor,if the branches snap off it is done.

 

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IOWA NORTHEAST

Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

I would worry more about lighting, they have looked like that around here a few times, and never seen one die.

 

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Rick Kr

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

I looked up your IP it says Englewood Co, your post said your from NE NE. Reason I wondered, Michigan is dealing with a lot of spruce fungus in Michigan. You are suppose to cut every tree within 1000 feet of the infected tree.

I would cut back all the dead branches on the spruce, it might be saved but it will be ugly for a while.
At first the pines to me look like drought. But the dead patterns are specific to one side of the trees, could be the hail. Trim off the dead and you should be good to go.

Rick

 

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Texasmark1

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Doesn't matter the time of year nor the plant, vegetation, brush, or tree. Take your fingernail on soft bark or knife on hard bark and scratch just beneath the surface bark. If brown it is dead. If green, regardless of the leaf and all, it is alive and will recover.

Mark

 

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Kevin Happke

Member

• Feb 5, 2012

• #1

Cut them down, the parts of the tree where the needles are dead and gone will never come back...looking at the pitures I would say it was also extremely dry so the trees had no moisture to help repair them selves from damage from the hail. We had a hail storm 4 years ago with the same conditions and the trees that are still standing look just like yours or worst...cut them down..and plant some new ones