Yes, 'Globosa' :) I won't discredit Ken Salvail for making a mistake, he owns an award winning landscape company and has all sorts of informative youtube videos, he's human and entitled to a blunder, though maybe should be a bit more observant of names, but I'm also guilty of the same :) I planted a very full and compact 'Globosa' about eight years ago. The thing grew slowly in my dryish somewhat nutrient deficient soil, though picked up the pace to loosen and open up and produce a dominate leader that was lookin to take charge. So, for the first time, I pruned the entire specimen and will continue with that in order to keep it in it's current location.

Rough handling before it was planted can cause that. By that, I mean putting stress on the trunk by carrying it wrong or bending it by lifting it up so the weight of the rootball bends the trunk. That limits the amount of fluid getting up the trunk. The top is the first to go, just like it was in a drought. I would say there are no insect problems and it will probably recover over time. As to when the injury occurred, who knows? Maybe before you got it, or after. Mike.....02$

i learned.. over time ... to enjoy watching the tree NATURALLY re establish a leader ... all trees do ... and they dont need any help from us ... the alternative is to look at stake and rope for 2 or 3 years.. trying to force it back .. and frankly .. you might be surprised how many times it sticks its tongue out at you.. and sets the leader it wants.. lol ... pungens is not one of the soft trees ... that will agree to be pulled back into some other form ... besides.. in tying it up... you will probably bleed .... lol .. and you will mar the needles that are there ... who wants to look at the stick .... its your new treasure ... just planted ... other than proper watering.. ignore it as far as dreaming up things to do to it ... do you know proper watering .... if not.. see link .. and in your ground freeze zone [i presume]... it might not need watering until june .. insert finger and FIND OUT ... no guessing ... mulching will help ... see link also ... ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Glad I could help. Norway spruce (Picea abies) are prolific growers so not unusual to see this type of growth. I had a smaller white spruce that did the same thing, sent an upward shoot on several of the upper branches. I snipped a few inches off of each one, that slowed them down and in a couple of years, the tree filled out nicely without any more renegade leaders starting in. Pole saws are nice and makes the job safe. If you don't need the saw, you can easily take the blade off, that makes it easier to used the pruning clipper, without the blade catching on or damaging the other branches. I never fertilize conifers. There never seems to be a need, at least for me.