Pitch canker is a disease of pine trees that is caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum The fungus causes infections (lesions) that can encircle or girdle branches, exposed roots, and the main stems (trunks) of pine trees. The tips of girdled branches wilt as a result of obstructed water flow, causing the needles to turn yellow, and then red. The fascicles (needle clusters) eventually fall off, leaving bare branch ends. Multiple branch infections can cause extensive dieback in the crown of the tree and may lead to tree mortality. The tree produces copious amounts of resin (pitch) in response to an infection. Flattened or slightly sunken cankers (large infection sites) on the main stem of the tree usually appear after the tree already has multiple branch infections. The fungus is not known to move within the tree; therefore, each canker or lesion is a separate and distinct infection. The flow of resin from main stem infections can coat the bark up to several feet below the infection site. Honey-colored, resin-soaked wood is also a characteristic symptom of the disease and can be observed by peeling back the bark near a lesion. Infected trees are often attacked by engraver beetles, which cause the death of additional branches, tree tops, and the entire tree.

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