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Pines are some of the most common trees throughout Michigan, including Southfield and the rest of the Detroit metro area. This is due in part to our region’s climate and soil characteristics, as well as the fact that pines simply provide a lot of value to property owners, thanks to their ability to shade, screen, and beautify the area.
But while pines often thrive in our area, they sometimes require supportive care to remain healthy and fight off pests and disease. We’ll try to help you understand the kinds of things you need to do to ensure your pines thrive, including not only proper care practices but also the signs indicating your trees may be in trouble.
Michigan’s Pine Tree Species
Before we discuss pine tree care and maintenance, it’s important to share some basic information about the pines that are common in the Great Lakes state.
Native Michigan Pine Species
There are three pine species native to Michigan: the white pine, red pine, and jack pine. We’ll discuss each one below.
White Pine
Known to arborists as Pinus strobus, the white pine is not only Michigan’s state tree but also one of the most iconic pines in the world. Reaching 180 feet in some cases, the white pine is easy to ID by noting its regular branching habit; you’ll see “whorls” of branches erupting from the trunk at semi-regular intervals from bottom to top.
Red Pine
Like the white pine, the red pine (Pinus resinosa) also grows quite large. The red pine reaches about 100 to 120 feet in height and is clad in chunky reddish-orange bark. You can also identify it by noting its brittle needles, which are grouped in bundles of two.
Jack Pine
In contrast to the white and red pines, the jack pine (Pinus banksiana) usually remains pretty small. Occasional specimens may reach 60 to 70 feet in height, but that’s relatively rare (especially on urban and suburban lots). It generally has an irregular crown, and it’s covered in twisted needles, which are bundled in groups of two.
Common Non-Native Pine Species in Michigan
In addition to Michigan’s three native species, there are at least five other species that are commonly planted in our area:
Scots Pine
One of the most common exotic pines in Michigan, the Scots or Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) occasionally reaches 120 feet in height with a 3-foot-wide trunk. This pine has a distinctive, “open” crown and it’s typically covered in peeling orange bark.
Austrian Pine
Rivaling the other large pines in our area, the Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) may soar 180 feet or more into the air in ideal locations. This pine has relatively long, dark green needles and exceptionally dark bark, which is nearly black in some cases.
Mugo Pine
Contrasting sharply with many of the other Michigan pines, the mugo pine (Pinus mugo) usually remains below 20 feet in height — a fact that helps it earn one of its other common names, the dwarf mountain pine. It’s often planted in gardens or as the focal point of small properties.
Japanese Black Pine
Hailing from Japan and portions of Korea, the Japanese pine (Pinus thunbergii) may reach 95 feet or more in its native lands. However, it rarely achieves such heights in Michigan. You can spot a Japanese pine by noting its densely clustered needles, which are often shiny.
Ponderosa Pine
A western U.S. pine species, the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) rivals the white pine in size and, though rare, it occasionally surpasses the 200-foot mark. If you suspect a tree is a ponderosa pine, you can try crushing the needles in your hand; if you smell vanilla or butterscotch, the tree is likely a ponderosa pine.
How to Care for Your Pine Trees: A Michigan Homeowner’s Guide
As mentioned, pines (especially our native species) often grow well in Michigan, and they’re well-suited for our local climate, weather, and soil chemistry. But that doesn’t mean they don’t require proper care to have the best chance of thriving.
The easiest way to ensure your trees are getting the care they require is by contacting a certified arborist. But in a nutshell, you’ll want to do the following things:
- Plant the right tree in the right place. This obviously isn’t applicable to people trying to care for existing trees, but if you’re considering adding new pines to a property, be sure to match the species to the site. This means not only considering the space available and size of the tree, but also things like sun exposure and soil moisture.
- Apply a layer of mulch under the canopy. A 2- to 4-inch-thick layer of organic mulch is one of the most important things to provide for your trees. It will help protect the roots from mower damage, improve moisture retention, increase soil aeration, and moderate soil temperatures during Michigan’s sweltering summers.
- Provide supplemental water when necessary. Mature pines don’t often require additional water once they’re established, except during extended droughts or heat waves. However, young trees and recent transplants will almost always need regular water for the first year or two following planting.
- Fertilize the tree when appropriate. Unfortunately, urban and suburban soils are often lacking in several key nutrients, which can cause trees to become stressed. Fertilization can help to address these deficiencies, but it is important to first conduct a soil test to identify the exact macronutrients and micronutrients that are missing.
- Monitor your tree’s health vigilantly. Trees often take some time to display symptoms of bad health, so it is important to be on the lookout for the first signs of trouble. So, be sure to monitor your tree regularly (preferably with the help of an ISA-certified arborist) and take corrective action as soon as possible.
By taking these steps, you’ll increase your chances of keeping your pine trees healthy and safe. But never hesitate to reach out to the professionals at Longtree Tree Service for guidance.
Trimming Pine Trees in Michigan
Pruning is an important step for supporting any plant’s health, and in the case of trees, it’s also important for safety — it can even help reduce the chances that you’ll need emergency tree removal in the near future.
However, the process of pruning trees is exceedingly dangerous and requires a considerable amount of expertise and equipment. You not only need the proper pruning tools, including chainsaws, loppers, and pole saws, but you must also know how to locate each cut correctly, as well as the right time of year to trim a tree.
Few homeowners or property managers can satisfy these requirements, so most should simply have professional arborists carry out these tasks (not a generic “tree guy”). But there’s an even bigger reason property owners should avoid pruning pines: You have to be able to access the limbs that need to be trimmed. This means either having a mechanized lift handy or the skill and equipment needed to climb trees (ladders should never be used for pruning work).
Fortunately, pines are different from oaks, birches, ashes, and some other hardwoods, which require pruning every three to five years. In fact, pines rarely need — or even tolerate — heaving pruning.
They don’t require the kind of structural pruning that many hardwoods do, and they should never be “topped” to reduce their height. So, the only time pruning is truly necessary is for the removal of dead, dying, or diseased branches, as well as any time that a branch presents a safety hazard.
Common Pine Tree Problems in Michigan
Part of the reason that pines are so beloved is their innate hardiness; when properly located and cared for, they rarely experience many issues. With that said, there are a few pests and pathogens that do cause trouble for pine trees in Michigan. Try to familiarize yourself with these fungi, insects, and diseases, so that you can get your pines the help they need when necessary.
- Diplodia Tip Blight: Diplodia is a fungus that tends to attack Austrian, red, and Scots pines. It generally causes new shoots to turn brown and die, and it sometimes triggers the production of black fruiting bodies.
- Sphaeropsis Canker: Caused by the same fungus that causes Diplodia tip blight, Sphaeropsis canker attacks the stems and branches rather than the needles. This disease most commonly affects Austrian and red pines.
- Pine Wilt Disease: A deadly disease that can kill trees in a few weeks, pine wilt is caused by the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. This is a native US nematode, which only causes problems for nonnative pines.
- Lophodermium Needle Cast: Lophodermium causes the needles of pines to turn yellow or brown before falling off the tree. It primarily affects Scots, Austrian, and red pines, and is most common in humid areas.
- Dothistroma Needle Blight: Another disease that attacks a pine’s needles, this pathogen causes banded areas to appear on the needles. Shortly later, they’ll often break and fall to the ground.
- White Pine Blister Rust: White pine is an unusual disease that can only occur in areas that feature both white pines and either currants or gooseberries. It generally causes a pine’s needles to turn yellow or brown.
- Armillaria Root Rot: Armillaria is a very important fungal pathogen, which may cause things like crown thinning or dieback. However, the biggest threat this fungus causes is root rot, which may cause pines to fall over.
Some of these pests and pathogens can be quite serious, so be sure to contact the professionals at Longtree Tree Service promptly if you notice any troubling signs. Some of these conditions are manageable (if not actually treatable), but you must act quickly to give your trees the best chance of survival.
Signs Your Pine Tree May Require Removal
While most pine trees thrive in Michigan properties (with proper care), some do occasionally become hazardous and require removal or some other kind of service. To keep your home, family, staff, or guests safe, be sure to keep an eye out for the following signs:
Sudden Lean
Many trees develop a natural lean over years or decades, often as a way of accessing more sunlight. This kind of slow lean development is rarely an issue, as the tree produces something called response wood to ensure it remains properly supported.
However, trees that lean suddenly represent a very serious hazard, and they’re prone to failing completely. Always contact a professional arborist immediately if you notice a sudden change in the angle at which a tree leans — particularly if you also notice mounding or cracking soil.
Large Cracks
Large cracks in a tree’s trunk or major branches are emergencies that require immediate attention. Cracks not only indicate that some portion of your tree may fail, but they also indicate that your tree is already failing, as the wood fibers are literally breaking.
Cracks in any direction warrant immediate professional assistance, but those that occur in the horizontal plane are particularly troubling. Clear the area and contact Longtree Tree Service immediately if you notice any in your pines.
Branch Dieback
If you notice that the needles on your pine tree branches are beginning to turn yellow or brown, or if they’re dropping from the tree entirely, you’ll want to have an assessment performed as soon as possible.
Branch dieback (called crown dieback when it affects several portions of the canopy) can indicate a variety of pest and disease problems. Even if your tree cannot be treated or managed, you’ll save a lot of money by having it removed soon, before the wood can become brittle, making the tree too dangerous to climb. In such cases, crane-assisted removal may be necessary.
Large Hollows
Some trees with large cavities or hollows are able to live for decades, but pines rarely can. Hollows often form when a tree suffers an injury and is then unable to compartmentalize (“seal off”) the damage completely. Fungi soon make their way into the wound, where they begin decaying the wood and compromising its stability.
As with branch dieback, you’ll want to have these kinds of issues addressed quickly to prevent the tree from becoming too dangerous to climb.
Mushrooms or Conks
Mushrooms or conks growing on your tree or above the major roots is a very troubling sign, as these fruiting structures signal the presence of extensive fungal activity. In some cases, the fungus in question may only target the dead wood within the tree, but in other cases, the fungus may actively spread through the living wood.
Either case may require the removal of the tree, but it is important to have a certified arborist inspect the tree before a plan is made. Some mushrooms pose no threat to the tree (some are even beneficial), particularly when they’re growing from the soil around the root system.
Longtree Tree Service: Unmatched Care for Southfield’s Pines
Whether you are a property manager overseeing a 100-acre retail lot that’s covered in pine trees or you’re a homeowner with a small yard and a single small pine tree, Longtree Tree Service can provide the care and maintenance your trees need to thrive. We can even provide stump-grinding services, if your tree unfortunately requires removal.
From Southfield to Detroit to Bloomfield Hills and beyond, Longtree Tree Service provides the tree care Michigan homeowners and property managers need.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. One of our arborists will be happy to visit your property, assess your trees, and provide a plan for addressing any concerns you may have.
