Insect affecting WNC white pines
A tiny insect is being blamed for declining health in eastern white pine trees in six North Carolina counties including Haywood, Swain, Madison and Transylvania. The N.C. Forest Service is asking Western North Carolina landowners to look out for signs of damage.
Affected trees show branch dieback, crown thinning, cankers and excessive resin flow. In some cases, they die. The culprit is a scale insect called Matsucoccus macrocicatrices, which was first reported in the Southeast in 2006 and in North Carolina in 2013. Scientists are unsure whether this insect has simply gone overlooked for years because of its tiny size, or if its range is expanding.
The impact in North Carolina is scattered and seems to affect trees on the forest’s edge the most. Landowners should contact a county forest ranger if they notice such conditions on their trees.
