SALEM, Ohio — An invasion is underway, but instead of soldiers in army green, the threat is a tree with bright, snow white flowers: the Callery pear.
While most native trees have yet to bloom, the Callery pear stands out like a sore thumb from the pink-flowering redbuds and the hickories void of leaves. Although some may call it pretty, in reality, this tree is a pest in disguise, and its pungent, rotten-egg-like scent only proves its deception.
Callery pear, also known as Bradford pear tree, are an invasive species from China that now occupies much of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia farmland and suburban and urban communities. The species is known to outcompete other important native tree species and can wreak havoc on farmers’ fields.
The good news is that there are plenty of organizations out there that can help landowners get rid of their Callery pear and plant a healthier, more sustainable native tree.
“Some of the most beautiful people in the world have the meanest personalities: that’s the Callery pear. It is a beautiful tree. It is a perfect shape. It’s a good landscaping tree. But when you learn the truth behind the Callery pear, it’s, it’s an awful tree,” said Kellie Docherty, conservation educator at Medina County Soil and Water Conservation District. “It really does a lot of harm to our wildlife and to our habitats.”
History
The Callery pear tree was first introduced to the United States in the early 1900s as a rootstock for European pear trees to fight off fire blight — a bacterial disease that can kill pear trees. These trees were later used for urban landscaping, deemed valuable for their quicker-than-average growth period.
This all started in 1966, when former First Lady Claudia Johnson, known as “Lady Bird Johnson,” encouraged others to plant Callery pear trees after she planted one herself in downtown Washington, D.C. Today, city streets and rural roads are littered with Callery pears, which pose a huge risk to native tree species.
But they weren’t always a hazard to wildlife, according to Docherty. “When they were cultivated, they were made to be sterile so that they could not spread and they would just stay in your yard and just be there,” Docherty said. But when other cultivars started popping up, the similar tree species cross-pollinated and “all of a sudden they’re everywhere.”
Cultivars are trees in the same plant species that have been bred by humans to get desirable genetic traits. The Bradford pear tree is one of the cultivars, in addition to Cleveland select, the autumn blaze and more.
Now, Callery pear trees easily spread through its shallow root system and by birds and other wildlife species that eat the fruit and drop seeds. Although pollinator species can feed off the tree, the fruit is not good for wildlife, said Docherty.
“Their fruit is very low quality; it is kind of like giving out candy to wildlife. It’s not really good for their fitness,” Docherty said. “We want to make sure you’re putting out trees like oaks, service berries, walnuts, that improve the fitness of our wildlife, is better food quality and is better habitat.”
Harms
The Callery pear outcompetes other native species by forming dense thickets that choke out native plants, which cannot tolerate shade or compete for water, soil and space. These trees pose a particular threat to farmers with open fields or those trying to restore their farm fields for forestry purposes, said Docherty.
“They are fairly aggressive and will move in very quickly,” Docherty said.
Farmers with pear trees have an added chance of danger as the Callery pear tree could cross-pollinate with their pear trees and ruin the crop. Instead of juicy pears, the tree will produce small, bitter berries, said Docherty.
The trees are also not as good of a landscaping tree as they once were thought to be. According to Penn State Extension, they can develop sharp thorns along their branches and produce an excess amount of branches even after pruning attempts, making them difficult to manage.
The branches also grow at a vertical angle, which makes them susceptible to breakage from extreme weather events. According to Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener Coordinator at Penn State Extension Lyndsay Feather, the best way to prune a Bradford pear tree is to chop it down.
To properly remove a Callery pear, landowners should
- Cut the tree down in the summer, leaving 6 to 10 inches on top of the stump.
- Apply an herbicide to kill off any new shoots that the tree sends out to regrow.
- Remove the stump and replace it with a native tree or leave the stump and plant a native tree nearby.
Ohio resources
There are several organizations in Ohio offering native tree species to landowners who remove invasive species, including Bradford pears.
Medina County Soil and Water Conservation District and Medina County Park District are hosting the Medina County Invasive Species Buy-Back program, where residents and landowners can receive a free native plant species for removing an invasive one.
The program kicked off in 2023 — the same year Callery pears were made illegal to sell, grow and plant in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. About 50 people participated in the program and over 92 invasive species were removed from private properties, according to Docherty.
In its first year, the organization distributed native species for removing Callery pear trees, multiflora rose and honeysuckle. This year, they will accept any invasive species on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Invasive Species list.
The program is open to any Medina County resident. To participate, landowners need to take a picture of the plant for the organization to ID. Residents will then chop down the tree and take another picture, and send both photos to the organization’s email. If accepted, landowners will be sent a link to select a native tree species for replacement.
Residents can get up to one native tree species for each invasive species removed. If Medina SWCD has more native trees to spare by the end of the program, residents can get up to three native tree species. According to Docherty, landowners who cut down full-size Callery pear trees can get a bigger native tree species to plant to fill the empty space.
The application window for the program opens June 1 and closes August 22. Docherty encourages people to wait to cut down their Callery pear tree until summer, as an herbicide treatment is necessary to kill off the tree and will not take in the spring.
“If it’s too early in the year, the trees and shrubs are pushing up energy to the leaves, so it pushes out that herbicide. Whereas in the summertime, that’s when shrubs start pulling down energy to the roots,” Docherty said. “So if you put a herbicide treatment on the stump, it will take it down to the roots.
Additionally, Medina County Soil and Water Conservation District will be hosting three workshops this to educate landowners on how to remove invasive species. The workshops are open to all and will take place in Wadsworth, Spencer and Brunswick, Ohio. For more information on the workshops, visit https://medinaswcd.org/callery-pear/.
Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District also recently launched a bounty program for landowners who replace an invasive species with a native one.
Landowners who live in the cities of Columbus, Grove City, New Albany, Reynoldsburg and Westerville can participate. To apply, interested parties will need to take a picture of an invasive species they cut down and the native plant they replanted, along with the receipt.
The organization has a list of recommended native tree species landowners can choose from, which includes chokeberry, dogwoods, redbuds and more. Residents will get a $100 check in the mail to cover the cost of purchasing a native species; New Albany residents will get $150.
The organization will be accepting at least 10 applications from each city and three applications from Grove City. The photos can be sent via email, mail or in person. Residents can submit their application by visiting https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/7bca86162608496db85a141e3a02d7e5.
According to Kori Sedmak, public outreach coordinator at Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Callery pear trees may spread fast, but information spreads even faster.
“It really gets neighbors talking. One person does it on the street, and a neighbor comes out and asks them what they’re doing, why they’re cutting this tree down. That information tends to spread pretty organically. That’s our biggest goal,” Sedmak said.
Some Ohio businesses are also offering discounts to those who remove Bradford pears. Urban Loggers in Licking County is offering a 20% discount and Basic Tree Care is giving landowners in Licking County a $50 discount for Bradford pear tree removals.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania residents will also have an opportunity to get rid of their Callery pear trees. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Invasive Species Council launched the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program in March.
Landowners who remove up to five invasive species will get to select native plant species at five planned events across the state in May. The program aims to replace trees such as the Callery pear, Norway maple, Japanese barberry and the tree of heaven — the primary feeding source for the invasive species, the spotted lanternfly.
To participate, property owners will need to remove an invasive species and take a picture. The picture can be submitted via a pre-registration form or can be brought to one of the in-person events.
The native species will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the program, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/newsroom/shapiro-administration-launches-statewide-program-to-replace-inv.html.
Although Bradford pears may look appealing on the outside, Docherty reminds landowners that there are other beautiful trees out there.
“There are native alternatives that are, I would say, more beautiful, like our native Allegheny serviceberry, our rough leaf dogwood, our flowering dogwoods, oaks or maples. They all have beautiful value to them, not only cosmetically pretty, but also good for wildlife, good for stormwater, all around great for everybody,” Docherty said.
(Liz Partsch can be reached at epartsch@farmanddairy.com or 330-337-3419.)
