Q: My home state of Kansas is going to ban Bradford pear trees in 2027. I like this tree and was thinking of buying another one as a local nursery is having a sale. Is the tree as bad as they say it is?
A: Bradford pears are probably worse than they are saying. Let’s start at the beginning and bring you up to date. Bradfords are a variety of Callery pear called Pyrus calleryana. Bradford was originally selected in 1918 in China as a potential variety to breed fire blight resistance into edible pear tree varieties. That didn’t work, but the tree was introduced as an ornamental pear in 1950. One of the benefits of pear trees is that they are sterile if no compatible varieties are nearby, so there is no messy fruit.
Bradford pears have pretty spring flowers, although they tend to smell like rotting fish. They have pretty red fall color in the southern part of the U.S., but they hold their leaves too long in the fall for northern areas, and the leaves turn muddy brown when frosted. They are narrow and upright, so they fit in the urban environment along streets. The narrow shape leads to the trees splitting in storms. Being a non-native tree, it has few insect pest problems. That also means that it is of no benefit to native insects. For each positive attribute, Bradfords have a negative.
In an attempt to capitalize on the popularity and to improve the Callery pear, new varieties have been introduced. Some still have some of the negative attributes of Bradford—but the worst problem of all is that they can now cross-pollinate each other. Callery pear fruit are 1/2 inch in diameter, and there may be thousands on a single tree.
Birds wait until a few frosts soften the fruit, and then they devour them. Many migratory bird species, such as robins and blackbirds, love the fruit. As they migrate, they poop out the seeds. Many natural areas have become filled with Callery pears. I have seen areas under power lines so filled with pear trees that no one can walk through the maze of trunks. Callery pears may be the most invasive tree in many areas, and there is a lot of competition.
Any ban on Bradford pears should include any of the other cultivars of Callery pear, such as aristocrat, autumn blaze, capital, chanticleer, Cleveland select, redspire, trinity, and whitehouse, to name a few. The state of Ohio banned all Callery pears in 2023.
If someone wants to remove a Callery pear, be sure to grind out the stump on larger trees and be watchful for new sprouts coming up from the roots in areas farther from the stump. Small trees can be cut off but may come back directly from the stump. Use a stump killer product such as one with the herbicide Triclopyr. As soon as the stump is cut, apply the herbicide to the outer edge of the stump where the live tissue is.
Here is a short list of native trees to replace your ornamental pear tree, though not every tree here fits every part of the country: American hornbeam, American plum, blackgum, cornelian cherry dogwood, eastern redbud, flowering dogwood, hawthorn, and serviceberry.
Hopefully, more states will follow the lead of Ohio and Kansas and ban Callery pears as well as other invasive plants from around the world that are ruining many of our native woodlands, prairies, and lakes.
