Dennis -
You are likely seeing spruce budworm damage, although I have not seen it in western WA and I associate it with the drier East Cascade forests. In Washington, I've noticed that the infestation is pretty bad in parts of the Wenatchee mountains, such as the Teanaway drainage as well as portions of Table Mountain. You can see quite a bit of it as you drive over Blewett Pass. The caterpillars are feeding on the new growth, so you'll see the appearance of dying, burnt needles on the tops and the tips of the lateral branches. This WSU website has more information: http://ext.nrs.wsu.edu/forestryext/foresthealth/notes/westernbudworm.htm. You'll note that the spruce budworm infects Douglas-fir, western larch, Grand fir, subalpine fir, and Engelmann spruce. The WSU website also talks about the role fire suppression plays in improving spruce budworm habitat.

Wendy Gibble