What’s Causing the Official State Tree of Arkansas to Die?

The Official State Tree of Arkansas, the loblolly pine is dying. The mystery remains, why?

I was sitting out on my patio the other day looking out at the nearby woods and noticed a couple of pine trees that were turning brown then I saw something in the news about the pine trees in Arkansas dying at an alarming rate so I decided to further look into it and here's what I found.

Dr. Vic Ford with The University of Arkansas Agriculture Extension Office has been investigating why the normally plush green trees are turning brown all of a sudden across much of the state which typically happens when a tree becomes infected with some sort of pathogen. Trees that die pose a threat to individuals as their limbs become brittle and could break. and fall off damaging homes if in a residential area.

Not only that but Arkansas' $3.6 billion dollar timber industry could be affected if trees continue to die off.

Many experts believe that dying trees could be an environmental issue from extreme weather conditions such as a prolonged period of rain to extremely hot dry conditions that can stress out trees. Whether it be some type of pathogen disease or chemical-induced, trees turning brown is never a good sign. The good news is the problem is fixable once the cause is determined but you don't want it to be an ongoing problem because that could be devastating.

Loblolly Pine Tree