Friend or foe, either way East Tennessee plant specialists say they have to go

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – After having a number of customers asking if they carried them, a Knoxville greenhouse says they’re not carrying Bradford pears and people need to look at alternatives.

”We don’t sell them, we don’t bring them in at all,” said Kelsey McCarter the trees and shrubs manager at Stanley’s Greenhouse.

The warning came because the trees, also known as Callery pears are invasive to East Tennessee.

”They’ve become incredibly invasive in our area, and across the country even,” said McCarter.

The Callery, or Bradford pear, was brought to the country in the early 1900s. They became increasingly more popular in 80s and 90s as people opted for them in their yards and neighborhoods because of their pretty bloom and fast growth.

”Plants are not furniture, you know they show over decades the true properties of the plant,” said Michelle Campanis, the education programs coordinator at UT Arboretum.

WVLT News reached out to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to find out if the state is looking into banning the tree. They said it’s not an option at this time, but the department is looking into ways to manage the invasive species.

”It has become invasive because once it reverts back to the parent tree the calorie pear which has very long thorns, spreads easily and that’s what you see popping up all over the road sides, vacant lots,” said Campanis.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency created a team whose job is to travel to management areas and remove the trees, the only efforts known across the state to attempt to eradicate the tree.

”It has become an invasive plant, every year that I’m in Oak Ridge I’m seeing more and more of them and its becoming a plant that’s crowding out our native plants that birds and insects need for food,” said Campanis.

Back at Stanley’s Greenhouse, work is now being done to educate and inform people of what should be planted instead.

”When the service berry tree is in bloom its full of white flowers I mean from a distance you may not even be able to tell it from a Bradford pear tree,” said McCarter.

While expensive, the recommendation of how to handle the Bradford pear is to simply have the trees removed.

”Having them removed unfortunately I know its a costly thing to do,” said McCarter.

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