
Yes. pine wilt moves to other trees, which is why one infected tree is a decision about the whole yard rather than about that tree. There is no cure once symptoms appear. The tree needs removing promptly — dead pines are a fire and fall risk, and the beetles that carry the nematode breed in the dead wood.
The whole tree browns in a single season, often starting on one side. Needles stay attached.
The main reason mature Scotch pine is disappearing from Indiana windbreaks and old Christmas tree plantings.