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White pine trees

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From: Anita Gilliam City: Springfield, OH
I just noticed that there are a lot of dead branches on the lower part of my white pines. Should I cut them all off? I don't want to end up with a pine tree where the first branches are 3 or 4 ft. up and the trunk is bare below to the ground.
	Extension Message From: Richard Hentschel Extension Educator, Horticulture DuPage/Kane/Kendall Unit hentsche@illinois.edu
Once a branch has died, there is little to do except prune it away. The lower and interior branches can die from a lack of sunlight getting to them and the tree sees them as non productive. Upper branches will as they continue to grow may hide the fact that the lower branches were removed. Suggest you contact your local Extension Service Office for a local response as well as what might be done or if a pathogen or insect is causing the problem
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