Dead and beetle-hit pines around Longview
Red needles, pitch tubes, and what Texas A&M Forest Service advises.
A pine that turns from green to rust in a few weeks is one of the most common reasons people in Longview call about a tree. Most often the cause is bark beetles finishing off a tree already weakened by drought, a storm or the 2021 freeze.
What Winter Storm Uri left behind
In November 2021, Texas A&M Forest Service reported that the February 2021 freeze had turned many East Texas pine crowns brown. Most recovered by summer, but extended drought afterward stressed them further. Allen Smith, the agency's regional forest health coordinator, called Uri "a major stressor of trees." Stressed pines can't push enough sap to fight off beetles, so even small Ips engraver attacks were killing trees, with death "often measured in days and not weeks." Ambrosia beetles and southern pine sawyers showed up on inspected trees too.
Telling the beetles apart
| Sign | Ips engraver beetles | Southern pine beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch tubes | Reddish-brown, on the flat bark plates | Creamy white, in bark crevices |
| Galleries under the bark | Y, H or I shaped | Winding S shapes |
| Usual scale | A few trees per spot | Can spread over hundreds or thousands of acres |
The Forest Service says Ips beetles are about 3 to 5 millimeters long and don't usually kill large numbers of trees, and that there have been no reported southern pine beetle cases in Texas since 1998. In dry spells a tree may form no pitch tubes at all, leaving only boring dust and holes.
How fast it moves
Needles go green, then yellow, then red; in late-summer heat that can take about three weeks. Red needles mean the tree is dead. A dead pine usually takes six to ten months to decay enough to break, and the Forest Service advises removing hazardous ones sooner rather than later.
What to do with an infested pine
- Few trees, away from anything: the agency says doing nothing may be acceptable for a small Ips spot.
- If control is needed: remove the infested trees from the property. For beetle-killed pines still standing, the Uri report's advice is to take them out and burn or otherwise get rid of the wood, which keeps the next round of beetles from coming out of it.
- Already abandoned by beetles: removal isn't necessary unless the tree is a safety risk.
- Spraying: the Forest Service doesn't recommend insecticide for bark beetle control.
- Prevention: deep watering during drought and avoiding root damage keep pines healthiest.
For several trees or a whole stand, the Forest Service suggests talking to a local forester through the agency. A tree contractor can handle the yard trees; the forester can advise on the woods.
Where these facts come from
- Winter Storm Uri continued tree impacts, pine tree mortality, a Texas A&M Forest Service news item, Nov. 21, 2021
- Southern Pine Beetle or Pine Engraver or IPS Bark Beetle, Texas A&M Forest Service forest health page
Looked up October 27, 2026. Longview services, Texas rules and published prices all shift over time, so open the source before leaning on any one figure.
Common questions
My pine has red needles. Can it be saved?
Texas A&M Forest Service says that if the needles are red, the tree is dead.
Should I spray my other pines?
The Forest Service doesn't recommend insecticide spraying for bark beetle control. It points to deep watering in drought and avoiding root damage.
Can I leave the cut pine in the yard?
The agency's Uri report says to get rid of beetle-killed wood, by burning or another disposal, before the beetles inside can emerge. For southern pine beetle, it calls felling and leaving trees in place counterproductive.
Get a dead pine looked at
Phone the number or use the form; a tree contractor from the Longview area returns the call and arranges to see the job. There's no fee for asking.
Voicemail picked up? Leave a name, the best number, where the property is, and whether the tree is leaning, dead or already down.