It's a question I usually get every fall from folks concerned that they are loosing their White Pine tree to some devious disease or insect. However, the truth is that the tree is simply loosing needles as a result of the fall season and age. When you look closer you will notice that the tree is loosing needles from a previous years growth and this is simply a healthy part of the growth cycle. There are no doubts that White pine in our part of the country have a great deal of problems to overcome (mostly cultural) but seasonal needle drop is not one of them.
For more information on White Pines and their qualities and problems in Kentucky see the following for more information.
http://www.uky.edu/hort/Eastern-White-Pine
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id85/id85.pdf
