As infected stem tissue dies back, the whole candle droops. Resinous cankers often appear on infected stems at the youngest branch whorls and often on stems at the base of blighted needles. Death of the candle stimulates the formation of new lateral shoots in the healthy stem tissue below. These shoots eventually may become blighted, turning shades of yellow-green to straw color. Infected twigs commonly exude resin, resulting in the stunted, dead, brown needles sticking to the twig.
Infected cones fail to mature.
In older twigs that have been killed, the bark is dark brown and the sapwood is stained gray or blue-black. Top killing and death of entire trees result from a massive invasion of the wood and bark of trunks and, rarely, the major roots of trees stressed by an extended drought or other agents. These problems can be distinguished from Sphaeropsis blight because the dead tissues beginning in autumn lack the small black pycnidia. The fungus can also be disseminated as mycelium on pine seeds. A wet period of 12 hours is sufficient for spore germination and infection.