Question

tree trunk   Hi
Last year I had a 15ft pine die off very rapidly. I noticed the tree next to it has a white substance on the trunk.
location central Indiana
Can you tell me what it is , if it is a problem and if so what to do about it ?

Thanks

Answer
This is pitch canker disease. Pitch canker is major disease of planted pines in the South. Crown dieback, stem deformity, reduced growth rate and mortality are most severe on slash pine, but Virginia, shortleaf, loblolly, longleaf, south Florida slash, pitch, Table Mountain, sand and eastern white pines are also susceptible.

The fungus invades woody branch and main stem tissues and creates localized cankers. Cankers on the larger portions of the main stem and on large branches live longer and are usually accompanied by large amounts of resin flow, sometimes covering several feet of the stem.  The bark remains on the canker face, which may be slightly depressed. The wood beneath the canker is pitch soaked, often to the center of the stem. Large portions of the tree crown can be killed when such cankers eventually girdle the stem or branch.

The bad news is there is not really anything that can be done if the cankers are on the main trunk. I would remove the tree and remove it from your property to keep down spores from infecting other pines. Sorry!