I've searched BG, but I didn't see a page for this species, Mindarus abietinus, an aphid that infects balsam fir (Abies balsamea), especially those of Christmas tree size. We encountered this aphid many times during our field work for an online publication, Pests and Diseases of Balsam Fir Christmas Trees. (A field guide version is available online here.)

Online sources for this aphid are many, and include this (Canada) and this (New England).

The tree's response is curled needles, but this shoot is fairly flat. The faint dark coloration is probably sooty mold that infects the honeydew released by the insects.