Pa. Phasing In Ban Of Invasive Callery Pear, Also Called Bradford Pear

[mr.d]

Pennsylvania Phasing In Ban of Invasive Callery Pear, Also Called Bradford Pear

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 @ 12:12 AM

Posted by Leon Aristeguieta

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The PA Department of Agriculture added Callery pear, or Pyrus calleryana, 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. The ban on sale and cultivation will take effect on February 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.”

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. Find native alternatives and information on how to control the plant on the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website, dcnr.pa.gov.

The timeline for the two-year rollout of the ban is as follows:

• Winter 2021 – Callery pear added to Pennsylvania’s Controlled plant and Noxious Weed list as a Class B weed. Class B weeds are those that are so prolific they cannot realistically be eradicated. These plants are targeted for control measures.
• February 2022 – Nursery and landscape businesses will receive notice from the department, advising them to immediately begin adjusting propagation, ordering, and planting of Callery Pear to decrease inventory.
• February 2023 – The department will issue letters of warning to any plant merchant still selling Callery Pear, providing a date in February 2024 after which remaining inventory will be subject to a destruction order.
• February 2024 – The department will issue Stop Sale and destruction orders to plant merchants selling or distributing Callery Pear.

Merchants with questions should contact ra-plant@pa.gov.

Find more information about Callery pear and other noxious, controlled and poisonous plants in Pennsylvania visit agriculture.pa.gov. For comprehensive information about controlling all invasive species in Pennsylvania, visit the Governor’s Invasive Species Council.

Photos of Callery Pear can be downloaded at www.invasive.org.

[lavender]

Hate, hate, hate, those trees. They sucker like crazy and you can't kill the suckers. I'm betting that even if you cut them down the roots will continue to put up shoots for all eternity. Roaches, rats and Bradford pears will survive the apocalypse. 

[Petee]

Yes, a lot of downtowns were lined with this tree but they began to fail in 15 years.  They were a beautiful sight up and down Long Avenue in DuBois.  I remember Biil Way stating that he hoped nothing ever happened to them because they were so beautiful in the spring.  Unfortunately they began to split out in huge chunks because they branched heavily in one spot making that location actually dangerous to cars and people.  

I had one Bradford Pear, and another that is a better hybrid of the same species.  The Bradford had to be cut down before it landed on the house, but the Cleveland Pear is still beautiful and going strong.  It also broke out a chunk that could easily have killed anyone under it at the time, but unlike Bradford, it did compartmentalize the area against rot.....we hope!

Plant sellers aren't always the most knowledgeable or scrupulous of people, so before you buy a tree and plant it, contact your county Master Gardeners for excellent information.