Tree Mob™: Seasonal Needle Drop

On December 2, we joined Arboretum Director of Horticulture Andrew Gapinski to learn about seasonal needle drop. Each fall, as daylight fades, temperatures drop, and the colors of autumn are in full swing, the Arboretum receives inquiries from concerned homeowners regarding their evergreens dropping needles. Although needle loss from environmental conditions such as drought and disease may warrant cause for alarm, the seasonal drop of a portion of needles is a normal part of every evergreen’s life cycle. The persistence of needles is different between species with eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), for example, dropping two-year-old needles, as compared to the bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata), which retains needles up to 17 years in age.