Bradford Pear tree is harmful to Wilmington NC

Oh, the ubiquitous Bradford Pear tree – a flashback to the 60s when it was all the rage for landscapes with its lollipop shape, fast growth rate, prolific white spring blooms and luscious red fall leaf color. Little did Ladybird Johnson know that her promotion of this invasive Asian tree species would haunt us 60 years later.

This Callery pear variety doesn’t feel quite like other invasive species (i.e., the viney kudzu). But this tree doesn’t belong in the Eastern United States, is cause for concern and prescribed for removal. The tree produces lots of human-inedible fruits. Cross pollinated with other Callery pear varieties, the fruits, thought to be sterile, are easily spread by birds into natural areas crowding out preferred native plant and tree species. The tree is also short-lived and becomes more and more fragile as it ages. A storm can split the tree and send it toppling. And the blooms smell really bad.

In 2018, The Washington Post’s Adrian Higgins wrote that “The U.S. Agriculture Department scientists who gave us the Bradford pear thought they were improving our world. Instead, they left an environmental time bomb that has now exploded.” Seeds from the preferred street tree of America’s postwar suburban expansion germinate to be the mass-produced supervillain with huge thorns taking over natural forests. These trees are damaging to our natural ecosystems and need to be removed and replaced.

Therefore, the Bradford Pear Bounty NC is a partnership between N.C. Wildlife Federation, N.C. State Extension, N.C. Urban Forest Council and N.C. Forest Service to help control the spread of invasive Bradford pears by removing them from communities and replacing them with native alternatives. Locally, the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees is also involved.

Details for the local Wilmington program are found here: Register for Wilmington Bradford Pear Bounty.

More:Invasive insect causing havoc to tree species considered overplanted in Wilmington

North Carolina residents can remove an invasive Bradford pear tree from their property and exchange it for a free native tree at Bradford Pear Bounty NC events this year in Wilmington on Nov. 4. Tree removal is the homeowner’s responsibility, and several local tree care companies offer Bradford pear tree removal discounts for program participants. Photo documentation is required to qualify for the free replacement tree.

Tree species selection will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Replacement native trees are subject to availability and may include boxelder (Acer negundo), red maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), flowering dogwood (Benthamidia Florida), river birch (Betula nigra), Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), swamp blackgum (Nyssa biflora), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) or swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor).

Read more at: NC Bradford Pear Bounty / NC State Extension.

Lloyd Singleton is the County Extension Director for New Hanover County Cooperative Extension and Arboretum, located at 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. He can be reached at [email protected] or 910-798-7660. The Arboretum grounds are free and open daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.