MDC Offers Callery Pear Buyback

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is partnering with the Missouri Invasive Plant Council, Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, and Forrest Keeling Nursery to host a Callery Pear Buyback event in St. Joseph on April 21, from 3-6 p.m. Trees can be picked up at the Remington Nature Center parking lot at 1502 McArthur Dr.

Participants who remove a Callery pear tree on their property will receive a free, native tree in return. To be eligible, participants must register online March 16 through April 16 and submit a photo of their cut down Callery pear. One free native tree will be provided to each registered participant at the pick-up event on April 21 with a limit of one free native tree per household. Register at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/oiB. 

Callery (Bradford) pears are an ornamental species that folks have enjoyed for years.  Despite their problematic issues, such as splitting in storms and an undesirable pungent aroma from the flowers, they are spreading throughout fields and forests. This spread is causing problems in urban and natural areas.  Cutting down existing pear trees helps control these invasive populations and choosing native species supports natural ecosystems.

Bradford pears were marketed in garden catalogs as recently as the 1980’s. They are used interchangeably with Callery, but they are a subset of the Callery species. They were the first and most common ornamental Callery pear tree. Many other cultivars exist such as Chanticleer, Cleveland Select, and Aristocrat.

The North Carolina Extension says that wild Callery pear trees pose a challenge for land management. Wild varieties have large thorns that can grow up to four inches long, which can injure livestock and wildlife. These thorns have popped tractor tires, forcing landowners to spend a lot of money to either remove them or use more expensive steel-tracked equipment. Wild Callery pears can form thickets, blocking wildlife movements and leaving little room for undergrowth that is essential for good soil.

Mature Callery pear trees can reach heights of 30-40 feet, and their limbs generally grow vertically, forming a pyramid or egg shape. During their blooming period, often in early April, the trees will have very dense clusters of white flowers that cover the tree before leaves form. Learn more about Callery pear trees at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4MJ.

For questions about the buyback program, contact MDC forester Timothy Wolfe at timothy.wolfe@mdc.mo.gov or (816) 271-3111, ext. 1437.