1st issue: I live in Missouri and this past summer was brutal drought wise. By early October 3 out of 6 of my 30+ foot pines had turned completely brown. Since they form a visual barrier from a busy street I was hesitant to cut them down and was hoping they would bounce back in the spring. I was told to cut a small area down past the bark layer to see if they were still alive. If the wood there is moist it is still alive - if it is dry the tree is dead.
Here it is spring and the wood just under the bark is still moist. However, the trees have dropped only 1/3 to 1/2 of their needles with no new needle growth. I have also noticed tiny holes (some but not a lot) in the bark indicating beetles.
Is there any chance of these trees recovering?
Since there is evidence of beetles in the stricken trees, what does this mean for the healthy trees?
2nd issue: I notice what appear to be woodpecker holes on the trunks of both the healthy and stricken trees, as seen in the picture. The healthy trees are currently oozing sap from these holes while the stricken trees are not.
Is this a serious problem?
Does the presence of woodpeckers on the healthy trees mean there is already an infestation of beetles in them as well?

This post was edited by crmn12 on Wed, Apr 24, 13 at 23:13