The white flowers of Bradford pear trees that bloom every year are an early sign of spring. The trees make for a pretty sight while cruising down a neighborhood street or strolling through the park, but they also bring a pretty bad smell and other annoying problems.
Callery pear trees, more commonly known as Bradford pear trees, can be found throughout Knoxville and East Tennessee. Introduced in the 1960s from several Asian countries, the white-flowered ornamental trees were once a favorite for landscaping but have now gotten a bad reputation for invading native species, being difficult to remove and smelling like fish.
At least three states – Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina – have moved to ban the sale and planting of the trees. Legislation banning Bradford pear trees has been proposed in Missouri and Kansas, too.
Tennessee has not taken that step yet. But if the smell or the thorny branches or just the sight of them everywhere bugs you, here’s what you need to know about Bradford pear trees and how to get rid of them or avoid them altogether.
Why do Bradford pear trees smell?
Some say it smells like rotting fish. Other describe it as like urine or animal waste. Bradford pear trees are considered malodorous, according to the Spruce, a home and garden site. The foul odor that drifts from the trees’ white or pink flowers is to attract pollinators.
The unpleasant smell lingers until the white flowers fall off.
That’s not the only reason Bradford pear trees are problematic. Originally thought to be sterile, the Bradford pear tree easily cross-pollinates with other pear tree types. It’s so invasive it crowds out other native plants and provides little to no food for insects, according to The Spruce.
Its one-inch thorns are thick enough to shred tires on a tractor. And the trees have a weak structure, making the branches and limbs easy to snap in strong winds or under the weight of ice.
How to remove Bradford pear trees
Removing Bradford pears helps minimize the spread of seeds. Local tree services can help remove the trees from your yard. But once the tree is cut down, it’s important to treat the stump, which might mean grinding it down, digging it up or treating it with an herbicide, Greenville News reports.
The best time to remove a Bradford pear is earlier in the season, before it begins producing berries.
There are several good alternatives to planting the invasive Bradford pear in East Tennessee, such as eastern redbuds, red buckeyes, yellowwoods and fringe trees, Blount County Master Gardeners suggest.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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