White pine with browning needles and needle tips from roadside salt spray damage. The uninjured overwintering buds at the base of the shoot will produce a new flush of growth in the spring, thereby reducing the visual appearance and health impact of the damage. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920
An active winter weather season for snow, freezing rain and fluctuating freeze/thaw temperatures has exposed white pine along roadways to salt spray damage.
Vaporized salt spray droplets from vehicle traffic can drift into the air and settle onto vegetation, with the heaviest deposits occurring within 150 feet of a roadway.