This is being confused with the pine wilt disease and with needle diseases. Affected needles, at least on Scots pine, will have a tan and green mottled appearance. Similar symptoms are occurring on loblolly pine. Austrian pine may also show some scorching but the color is more of a reddish brown. Needle blights, such as Dothistroma needle blight of Austrian pine and brown spot of Scots pine, tend to show up in late summer and early fall on the lower branches and inner needles first.
Affected trees tend to have sparse foliage at the bottom of the tree going into winter.
In addition, small brown to black spots can usually be found on needles affected by these fungal diseases. Needle scorching will not result in permanent damage to the tree as long as the new shoots were not also damaged by the cold temperature. Check to see if the buds at the end of the branch are beginning to swell. If so, no permanent injury has occurred. The cedar-apple rust galls on junipers are beginning to form their gelatinous orange spore tendrils.