Native landscape hurt by Callery pear invasion
- Frank Becker, OSU Extension Wayne County
- April 21, 2022
- 1113
Did you know April is designated as Ohio Native Plant Month? House Bill 59, a bill Rep. Scott Wiggam of Wayne County was the lead sponsor of, was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019. This bill designated April as Ohio Native Plant Month and is made to increase the public awareness of Ohio’s native plants and the many benefits they provide to pollinators, Ohio’s economy and the health of Ohio’s environment.
With this being Native Plant Month, there really is not a better time to talk about a tree that is threatening and choking out many of our native trees and shrubs. Our landscape is currently being brightened by the blooms of the Callery pear trees. The Callery pear, also known as the Bradford pear or the Cleveland select, is actually an extremely aggressive, non-native species. Our native landscape is under attack by this invasion of Callery pear, and it is continuing to get worse.
So how did this tree even get into the country? Interestingly enough, it was sought out because it was thought of as a “super pear” with resistance to fire blight and was sought out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It located the tree in places like Wuhan and Yichang in China, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan and brought it back to the U.S. to be as a rootstock for grafting purposes. Over time the tree gained in popularity as an ornamental and thus began the spread of the Callery pear.
During this time of year, it is nearly impossible not to notice all of the white flowering trees that are quite literally in every aspect of the landscape. If you do not see the flowers, you can probably notice the pungent, unattractive smell. Unfortunately, the majority of the Callery pear you are seeing or smelling were not planted, and you will continue to find more and more of them every year that were not planted by people but instead spread by birds and animals.
While the tree lawns in cities are littered with trees that were planted, you can basically stick these trees in any kind of soil, and they will grow. What is even more disturbing is to find these trees popping up in otherwise untouched wilderness areas, far away from where anyone would have originally planted one. Once they are established areas, they begin to choke out native plant species and become thick, deep-rooted stands of trees that are frustratingly difficult and expensive to control.
They are invasive to the point the Ohio Department of Natural Resources added the Callery/Bradford pear to the states invasive species listing in 2018. In 2023 it will be illegal to buy or plant this species in Ohio.
Because of this, you may find Callery pear being sold for very low prices, but do not take the bait. The best thing that can happen is for any remaining stock of Callery pear to be unsold and destroyed before 2023. Now this is a good move; it is just about 20 years late. The ones planted are spreading exponentially and are causing serious problems if not kept in check.
Though originally thought that they were bred to not bear fruit, they do. Birds gorge on the plentiful but low-energy fruit, then drop the seeds in their waste everywhere, and the next tree takes off, creating an endless and devastating cycle.
Callery/Bradford pears are week structured with steep “V” notched branches that are prone to breaking off in ice, snow and windy conditions. They will get to roughly 10-15 years old and then start falling apart. The other issue is the waxy leaves decompose very slowly, causing headaches in landscape and street tree settings, as well as compost piles. Simply put, do not plant a Callery/Bradford pear, and if you have one now, cut it down before its invasive seeds are spread any further or it falls apart.
Cutting down, treating and removing Callery pear is a great first step — now think about what kind of native species you can replant. There are a lot of great options to use as a substitute in your landscape. Those trees include common serviceberry, Allegheny serviceberry, native hawthorn or native crabapples.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has a complete listing of invasive species that you should avoid planting, as well as alternatives to plant instead of the invasive species and many other educational and useful resources on their website at www.ohiodnr.gov.
Before you go out planting something you are not sure about, take some time to dig a little deeper into what you are planting to find out if it is going to cause you headaches down the road and hurt the native species or ensure you working with a plant that will benefit our native wildlife and habitats. Planting native species and creating native habitats will benefit our native landscapes, birds, pollinators and make a significant impact that will last far beyond our lifetime.
Frank Becker is the Wayne County OSU Extension agriculture and natural resources integrated pest management program coordinator and a certified crop advisor and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or becker.5872osu.edu.