Tip blight, Phomopsis, Kabatina. Tip blight is fairly common in landscape plantings and can occur on plants of all ages. Symptoms include browning of needles and tip and branch dieback.
Infected tissues develop an overall ash-brown appearance.
Infection of the youngest growth is most common although older wood and entire branches can be attacked. In extreme cases the entire plant is killed. Phomopsis typically infects newly developing foliage in the spring whereas Kabatina infects wounded, year-old twigs in midsummer. In advanced stages, small black fruiting structures of the fungus may be visible with a hand lens. This disease can be managed by pruning and removing affected tissues when the bark is dry.