Hi..I have 6 very large white pines about 40 yrs old. Everything went great til Hurricane Sandy. My property flooded for about 5 hours with salt water from canal in oct. 2012. Thought all was lost when 98% of needles all turned brown and dropped. co- operative extension said it was due to the wind carrying the salt spray and to sit tight. However about 6 to 8 wks ago new needles formed profusely and I was thrilled. Short lived. Now the young shoots, not fully formed, have brown needle tips and it's all over the trees. No visable signs of disease to trunk and bark, but I am no expert. Appreciate any advice. I have already lost so much and hate to see these magnificent trees die.
It sounds like the tree absorbed salt water during the flood and it's affecting the new growth. I would call the co-operative extension office again, they should be able to tell you if the trees will recover and what you can do to help them.
I like toni's advice to call co-operative extension again. I also wonder if you could help them by deep watering, ie flush the salt out of the soil. Maybe that would drain your poor well dry though.
