Question
On my reason trip from Florida we drove through Pittsburgh, there were sections of forest That look black.The pine trees were brown, and all the trees on highways were dead or dying. Than I noticed there was something black on the tree. What is this, is it killing the Forest? I live in Maine will it come up this far.

Answer
I am going to guess that what you saw was the result of a forest fire. Fire scorches the pines and the needles turn brown and usually kills hardwood tree and blackens the trunks and ground.

I know of no disease or insect that would cause the trees to blacken.