Landowners with loblolly pine trees are being cautioned by the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) as the brown spot needle blight has been causing damage this spring season.
An announcement from the AFC stated that the blight is a fungal infection that causes needle discoloration and drop from loblolly pines.
“Just in the last few days, the agency started receiving calls, and the disease seems to be infecting trees with greater severity in west Alabama,” said AFC Forest Health Coordinator Drew Metzler.
“Although this pathogen has been affecting loblolly pines for years, mild wet weather over recent weeks has provided ideal growing conditions for brown spot needle blight, with infections generally beginning in the lower canopy of affected pines and spreading upward through the crown if conditions allow.”
In addition to needle drop symptoms include brown spots on needles with yellow halos, and thinning canopy. The disease can lead to stunted growth and increases the risk of bark beetles as pests.
However, as the summer season approaches the conditions should allow the blight to abate.
“Typically, as we get closer to summer and daytime temperatures increase, conditions for the disease are limited, and trees usually green back up,” said Metzler.
Marengo County is home to a timber industry that could be affected.
Landowners are advised by the AFC to monitor their pines and call their local AFC office in case the blight is detected.
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