…you might set your tree back a year. That’s exactly what I did with this SW white pine last spring, I guess because I was bored (and stupid). Anyway, don’t be like me! Fortunately it’s coming back strong, though all of the buds were quite small. You can see roots squeezing out of the box
The tips where I removed the cones did not form apical buds at all. You can see an example here of a damaged bud on the left and a healthy one on the right.
Fortunately most of these damaged branches are pushing tiny adventitious buds that were invisible only a week or so ago. Fertilizing heavily seems to be helping.
In summary, don’t be like me. But if you have made this mistake, be patient and fertilize. I was tempted to remove the damaged tips, glad I didn’t.