The beautiful but odoriferous Bradford pear trees along Boylston Street in the City of Bradford are an invasive species, and Pennsylvania is in the process of banning them.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture added Callery pear, commonly called Bradford pear, to a list of noxious weeds, plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state.
“The popular, non-native, flowering fruit tree naturalizes, spreading from planted landscapes, crowding out other plants and disrupting native ecosystems,” reads a notice from the department. The ban on sale and cultivation will take effect Feb. 9, 2022 with enforcement phased in over two years.
“Callery pear is another non-native plant that was brought to this country for its beauty and rapid growth, without regard for its long-term potential to harm our environment and food supply,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Banning the sale of an invasive plant is an important tool to stop its spread and is a step we take only after careful consideration of the damage it causes and its potential for continued harm to our ecosystem and economy.”
Bradford pear trees had been lining Main Street, but were removed and replaced in the recent streetscape project. The trees had issues with blight.
As for Boylston Street, Bradford Mayor James McDonald said, “The trees on Boylston were planted as part of the improvements over there 10-12 years ago, but currently Bradford Pear trees cannot be planted on Main Street — or anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania for that matter.”
He continued, explaining the trees on Boylston Street are getting weak and overgrown.
“It’s safe to assume that their days are numbered,” McDonald said. “A good wind storm could quite honestly do them in. When the time comes to remove those pear trees someday, I will advocate that we replace them with another type of tree that is not considered invasive or harmful.”
He added that the current trees on Main Street are all considered non-invasive.
According to the state, enforcement of the ban will be phased in over two years to allow time for nurseries and landscaping businesses to eliminate it from their stock and replace the trees with alternatives that pose less threat to the environment and agriculture. The department has established an exemption procedure for breeders who own the rights to varieties that have been researched and proven sterile, and will consider exempting these varieties from the ban.
Callery pear was brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s by researchers looking for a fire blight-resistant species that could be bred with European pear to increase fruit production. It has garnered attention in recent years as a prolific invader that can easily spread into woodlands, pastures, fields and natural areas.
Property owners should control the tree’s spread on their land and consider native alternatives when planting new trees.
