Bradford pear tree ban begins in South Carolina in 2024

[TexasTowelie]

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is banning sales of a popular but invasive tree.

Starting on Oct. 1, 2024, nurseries in South Carolina will be prohibited from selling Bradford Pear and Callery pear trees, according to the Post and Courier.

The trees are known for their early spring white flowers. But they also are known as one of the weakest structural trees in existence, with branches that commonly break after 10 to 15 years and a short life expectancy of 20 to 30 years.

The ban affects the Bradford pear and any other tree grown from the Pyrus calleryana rootstock. State lawmakers and the state’s Crop Pest Commission approved the ban after an advisory panel added the tree to the State Plant Pest List.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-trees-south-carolina-6ed99f3aa37e03eb741c90251a3e7716

[Diamond_Dog]

1. And, their spring blossoms

stink like dirty sweat socks.

[Hoyt]

2. Had in-laws with those things. They got big/nice, then started breaking.

[Midnight Writer]

3. They are pretty, but they fall down in a storm. And I mean the whole tree falls down.

[fwvinson]

7. I've had 3 in my front yard.

The first one lasted about 10 yrs. During a bad storm it fell, roots pulled out of ground. Replace with another Bradford Pear. The 2nd one split right down the middle from top to ground. Replaced with 3rd Bradford Pear. The 3rd one was twisted down, straight line wind problably. During a couple of those storms some young Pin Oaks fell, also

[3catwoman3]

4. We lived in a neighborhood near Andrew's AFB...

…for 8 years. All the streets were lined with Bradford pears. Every time there was a wind or rainstorm, you could hear the branches snapping like match sticks.

[spinbaby]

5. Good

In addition to breaking easily and stinking, they have a shallow root system that sends up shoots into your lawn. Even after we had ours removed and the stumps ground down, I was fighting the shoots from the remaining roots for a couple of years.

[Botany]

6. Too late .... the genie is out of the bottle.

millions of them are sprouting all over. In central OH you can see 10s of thousands growing wild.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. This used to be one of the trees planted in urban areas when a new tree was needed to (in STLMO)

replace a dead or diseased tree, but they totally turned around 180 degrees away from having these pear trees as a choice by homeowners to replace their dead and/or diseased trees (between the curb and sidewalk, all trees are city owned).

Ash trees too, are no longer supported as a viable substitute for a replacement tree too (because of the Emerald Borer).