Sugar Pine bark damage in N Cal

[Erik A]

I have a sugar pine with the outside layer of bark removed.

It starts about 8 feet off the ground and seems to go the length of the tree.

It seems to have killed the tree. Maybe the tree died and then this happened?

The tree is located in the forest at about 3500 feet.

What might have caused this?

[SwampDonkey]

I don't see any sap coming out of it so might be age, competition, or drought?

[MFinity]

Typical of woodpecker activity following barkbeetle attack. Bark beetles bore in, lay eggs, larvae (thousands of them!) mining the nutritious inner bark, girdling the tree. The woodpeckers follow, seeking the grubs. This is probably mountain pine beetle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_pine_beetle If you can peel the bark off, you should be able to see the patterns excavated by the insect. Each beetle species has its characteristic pattern. 

[Texas Ranger]

That old burn scar pretty much a causal agent.