some kind of white fungus on the bark of my white pines
I was in a tree stand today near a stand of white pines on my farm. While I did not see any deer I did notice that many of my white pines 14 to 18 inches in diameter are covered with a white color completely surrounding the outer bark. I assume it is a fungus and it starts about 4 ft above ground level and goes right up to the crown. It looks like it affects almost 50 percent of the trees in the stand, however there are a some with no apparent infection on them at all. The area is low and moist....and we have had alot of wet weather this summer, however in the last few weeks it has been drier. Can you give me an idea of what it is? Am I going to lose my pines?
Hello David,
Thank you for your question. I would recommend getting in contact with a local forester or extension forester who can help you assess the problem and offer specific recommendations for your land/trees. You can contact the extension forestry program here: http://senr.osu.edu/extensionoutreach/forestry
And you can find your local service forester here: http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/serviceforesters
Either one should be able to help you understand what is happening to your white pines and what you can be doing.
cheers,
Caroline Kuebler
Project Manager for MyLandPlan.org