need more facts ... each side of the driveway could be its own micro climate ...

when planted ...

where are you ...

how planted ...

source of plants... bigbox ... late summer stock???

is water available the same?? .. btw.. the second looks fine ...

are there any viable buds on the first???

ive had recently plantings of pine.. lose every leaf.. only to bud out and take off ... look for tan hard buds ...

at a min.. i would wait to see how they bud out in spring ...

they are conifers.. which are trees .. a forum for each.. but i dont care where you post ....

ken

Illinois, came from reputable nursery...the one that looks sad was looking good until I noticed one year the deer attacked it..they are several yrs old...cant remember how I planted...technically...so thats about it...guess it will be a wait and see game...wasnt sure if it needed amendments of any kind....

great info ... rules out first winter issues .. they been there long enough ...

all i can think.. is just to see how it buds out ... and your tolerance for how it looks then ... unfortunately.. that plan mean you probably should not replace it until fall planting season ... which then brings in your personality.. and whether it will bug the carp out of you all summer...

if this were by my front door ... it would be replaced this spring ... but if it were out in the back 3 acres ... i wouldnt be all that concerned about just seeing what happens ...

i think thats your base equation ... will it bug you ... let us know

ken

Give it this summer, then if it doesn't recover by this time next year cut it out and replace it.

White pines are very prone to damage from salt and other ice melting materials. Could one side of the driveway have received a much heavier dose of these than the other? The brown desiccated needles are characteristic of salt damage. If this is a possibility, rinsing with plain water can help and plants usually recover with time.

So...this is not a deer issue is what I take away from the comments. I will hydrate, and hope for the best. Thank you all for your time! I knew I could count on you to be prompt and helpful. :)

i dont know.. because i dont know if there are viable buds on it ... see link ...

regardless.. give it time to find out ...

once it buds out.. you can trim out the dead branches ...

pines do not have dormant buds ... so whats there is it .... and once they open... you will have all the info you need.. to make a decision ...

ken

dont get confused by the pollen sacs

https://www.google.com/search?q=pine+buds&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiPgeyV27rSAhUKxoMKHZeJBtIQ_AUICCgB&biw=892&bih=739

I also didn't add that it could be fertilizer burn. Have you been using fertilizer? If so, it is most likely not necessary (especially for these pines and any other evergreens).

A couple of close ups...there are many buds all over like the top photo...so if all looks well moving forward into spring, I will later prune out dead stuff...

No Logan....no fertilizer at all....

Ok, so we can definitely rule out fertilizer burn. I (and probably others here) use fertilizers for annual plantings, that may contain shrubs, and if the fertilizers are applied too often or incorrectly, it can cause this. I think that's a good plan, and hopefully it will recover. I do think it will be tedious work pruning that down on your hands and knees.

It's a low shrub....maybe 2'

I'll probably use a stool to sit on...I won't get too fussy over it...