Here is the whole tree. One of many like this. It was full and vibrant and thick.

Thank you, Ken, that link was very helpful.

Eastern spruce gall adelgid. I believe Ken has supplied you with a link. There is a great deal of info available on control regimens, etc.

Seems to be a lot of this this year.

you are welcome ...

do understand.. that nursery trees are often sheared..to look fuller and better for sale.. that perfect xmas tree look, one might say...

but they start growing out of that forced style.. and assuming a more natural form ...

i cant quite id it on this pic.. but its not looking all that bad to me..if we got the full latin.. i would google some images .. and compare those ...

as for your soil.. look at the trees behind.. it isnt bothering any of those ...

how big were these when you planted them ... you called them baby ...

is the tree above.. in full sun???

ken

It was about 6-8 inches when we took it from the woods. It has been in about 6 yours now. We transplanted about 10 over the years. It gets morning till 2-3 in afternoon sun. I noticed the galls last year but honestly thought nothing of them. Now some of the smaller trees have them and the picture tree looks horrid. That link helped and I am cutting the galls off today and burning.

Growing wild in the woods in the Catskills, that's probably either a red spruce (Picea rubens) or a naturalized Norway spruce (Picea abies). The habit looks more like a typical sapling Norway spruce, Red spruce doesn't usually grow that quickly.