CINCINNATI — As blooms begin to open across the region, Cincinnati Parks is warning about a certain tree that’s becoming a real problem in the area: The Callery pear tree.
At first glance, they look really pretty, but what you may not know is they’re actually highly invasive and can be harmful to native plants and flowers.
Jeff Webeler, owner of White Oak Gardens said the tree is native to Asia and came to the area in the 1900s. He said at first, they were great.
“Beautiful white flowers, which we're seeing now, and glossy green foliage, stayed nice and compact,” Webeler said. “That was the perfect ornamental tree for the Midwest.”
As time went on, though, they started popping up just about everywhere.
“Anywhere the seed could be dropped by a bird, these plants are popping up. And that's a real problem,” he said.
Despite the pretty flowers Callery pear trees put off each spring, they're more invasive than good.
“They're so vigorous and so strong growing that they're just choking out all the native species so the birds don't sustain themselves on all of the fruit that they're producing,” said Webeler.
He said they can quickly take over and be hard to control.
They’re also known for their unpleasant potent smell.
Last year, Callery pears were deemed illegal to buy or sell in Ohio. Even though buying and planting new ones is banned, however, birds are still spreading the seeds from the trees that are already here.
“The cows are out, and the gates are closed, but it’s still a problem,” Webeler said.
So, what can you do? For starters, don’t plant them. Seedlings and shallow-rooted plants can be pulled or dug out when the soil is moist.
If you already have one in your yard, Webeler said you can remove it.
“So cutting it off, treating the stump with a stump remover or herbicide that you can drip on the tree,” he said.
Doing that will kill the roots and keep it from re-sprouting.
Webeler said there are native, non-invasive trees that are great alternatives, such as a weeping cherry tree or a flowering peach tree.
“Plant diversity," he said. "That's always a good idea, so that we have more options for wildlife or more options for beneficial insects and pollinators like birds and bees and butterflies and hummingbirds.”
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