Bradford Pear Tree Added To Ohio Invasive Species List

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What some believe is one of Ohio’s beautiful trees to look at each spring and fall, has been added to Ohio’s list of invasive species. The callery pear tree, known to many as the Bradford Pear Tree, will no longer be available for planting, sale or importing in Ohio after 2022.

This ruling does “not” require existing callery pear trees to be cut down.

Bradford Pear Trees were brought to North America in the 1960s from China and Taiwan, brought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soon the medium-sized landscaping tree became the most popular ornamental tree.

But its strong odor has become a problem for many and the tree creates a mess when the blooms fall. The trees choke out other plants and cost countless hours and resources to clear them from native woodlands.

According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, in order to protect native plant species and thwart the growth of invasive plant species, 38 plants have been declared invasive in Ohio. No person shall sell, offer for sale, propagate, distribute, import or intentionally cause the dissemination of any invasive plant in the state of Ohio.

Currently, callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) can be sold until January 2023.

Concerning the shipment of callery pear trees to other states from Ohio, many other states also have regulations prohibiting or restricting the sales of certain plants that have been deemed to be invasive or noxious. Check with your nursery inspector if you have questions about shipping plants out of Ohio and to ensure you have the most current lists of prohibited invasive plants.

The complete list of current Ohio invasive species can be found by going to the following link. CLICK HERE: