Stinky, damaging Bradford pear trees have fallen out of favor

They're a tree you won't see in many nurseries anymore. The Bradford pear and its variations are all over the country, with ongoing efforts by environmental organizations to remove them.
Posted 3/31/2025, 9:20:05 PM Updated 4/1/2025, 12:58:05 AM

I hate to cut down trees but if they're causing

problems then it has to be dealt with

Going beyond the smell

It also has kind of a more ominous nature to

it

Um they grow so aggressively that they will uh push

out uh native vegetation and disrupt uh natural ecosystems

Callery pear trees are spreading and the Kansas Forest Service

encourage cutting back and cutting down

Next year offering a buyback program for your trees

These trees that were um initially and independently sterile have

found a way to cross pollinate because of these different

cultivars that have been developed including Bradford pear

I think the real appeal of the pears is when

you drive around and you see all these big blooming

white trees covered in white flowers

Ryan Johnson with Johnson's Garden Center knows the tree well

You know we do have uh quite a few people

coming in looking for better options

He says beyond their environmental impact the Callery pears simply

aren't suited for the state

For Kansas at least it's just it's very

Structurally not sound for our winds

The branching structure you can lose half that tree in

a heavy windstorm

But deciding to chop down your calorie pear tree doesn't

mean you're without options

We've got some plums over here

I like a nice like a cold party or something

like that

Options that are good for your garden and good for

the state

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