Joplin Asks Residents To Stop Planting Invasive Tree Variety

[TexasTowelie]

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — The city of Joplin is discouraging homeowners from planting Bradford pear trees as the invasive variety begins to blossom downtown this spring.

The move comes two years after the Missouri Department of Conservation started asking homeowners and landscapers to stop planting the trees, which are resistant to diseases and pests, the Joplin Globe reported .

The Bradford pears, also known as Callery pear, gained popularity for decades because of their beautiful blooms, fast growth and affordable price, according to city and state officials. But the invasive trees spread quickly and at the expense of other native plants and animals, said community forester Jon Skinner of the state conservation agency.

"An invasive Callery pear can take over an environment, because you get so many," Skinner said. "The dense canopy shades out native vegetation, and you'll lose a habitat for wildlife below."

Read more: https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/e2e7dabb841b4e29b5aee2dbecb565ab/joplin-asks-residents-stop-planting-invasive-tree-variety

[Tactical Peek]

1. After a big wind blows, you will have a bunch of Bradford Pear-halves.

Plus their blossoms stink and they make a big mess.

[WhiteTara]

2. The first thing we did when we moved into our home

is dig them up and I've been destroying shoots ever since.

[Atticus]

3. The article is misleading. (No fault of the poster)

The ORIGINAL Bradford pear, of which I planted ten nearly thirty years ago, was/is sterile. The tiny fruit does not produce viable seeds. However, its round full canopy caught too much wind for its brittle branches to withstand and it quite often split nearly down the middle in a storm. So, an "improved" Bradford Pear was developed and the "Cleveland" cultivar was introduced.

It was more "football" shaped so as not to catch so much wind. But, it is still brittle and breaks nearly as often. AND, they not only are not sterile, they reproduce like rabbits! Carried by birds, squirrels and other critters, they spread into flower beds, fence lines or out into the surrounding community. Did I mention that they have "spurs"?

Spurs may not be true thorns, but they are awfully similar and will impale the careless hand that carelessly tries to pull the sprouts out of the ground. The Cleveland has been considered an invasive species in Illinois for several years. I will be years getting rid of the "children" of the ones I bought to replace the original Bradfords.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. My city is paying people to take them out and replace with a native tree.

https://5newsonline.com/2019/03/21/fayetteville-sets-bounty-on-bradford-pear-trees-offers-free-tree-to-anyone-who-cuts-one-down/