Don't Plant that Pear Tree!

Today's Missourian has an excellent article regarding our educational efforts to rid our city of the Callery Pear Trees. Missourian reporter Becky Anderson wrote about our "Stop the Spread!" program designed to prevent the further planting of the Callery Pear trees including varieties such as Bradford, Chanticleer, Aristocrat, and Capital.

Anderson writes "Callery pears are generally selected for their teardrop shape, vibrant white blossoms, manageable size and because they are relatively easy to transplant. This tree, however, is seen by some as more of a headache than a gem. Bad branch angles and heavy branches make the species susceptible to splitting, which is dangerous around roads and power lines. Ornamental pear trees are often the first to come down in heavy storms and snow."

However, the real problem is that these are non-native, invasive trees that will ultimately take over open fields. A great example of this is on Scott Boulevard between Smith Drive (The Hamlet Subdivision) and Christian Fellowship Road. This once open field is now filled with Callery Pears.

This Chinese import is so bad, it was recognized as the "Weed of the Week" by the U.S. Forest Service. Invasion.org even states "Do not plant Bradford pear."

In the Plainfield Trees blog, Gregory Palermo documents many pear trees and the problems associated with them. He further states that even trimming the branches is not much of a help.

"That sort of pruning is not at all easy to do in an effective and attractive way because all of the major limbs typically spring from the trunk at roughly the same height above ground. Worse, as the tree gets larger, those closely spaced branch points intersect each other. The corrective pruning, to the extent that it can be done, tends to eliminate the symmetry of the crown that is one of the tree's attractions."

Alternatives to plant include chokecherry, dogwood and redbud. As you look at planting new trees this fall, please consider one of these alternate choices.