Callery (think Bradford) pear trees may be a classic example of something that's too good to be true.
That's why the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is leading the effort to eradicate the hundreds of invasive pear trees threatening to overwhelm the beautiful crape myrtle plantings that have graced the U.S. 67-60 interchange at the north edge of Poplar Bluff for some 20 years.
Area MDC Resource Forester Mark Pelton and his crew of forest resource assistants spent several days earlier in the summer cutting and removing the larger pear trees and spraying smaller saplings with herbicide. They were assisted by HR Quadri Contractors co-owner Steve Bubanovich, who volunteered his time and heavy equipment to help load the cut trees and brush. A special grapple bucket was supplied by Corbit Barnet Construction.
Several members of the Poplar Bluff City Tree Advisory Board furnished utility trailers and manpower to help load and haul the debris to the city of Poplar Bluff vegetation dump on the East Side. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) supplied a driver, truck and trailer. The Butler County Highway Department stationed a backhoe and operator at the dump site to unload the trailers.
Callery pears were imported from China a hundred years ago for experiments to improve disease resistance of the common fruiting pear. The pears were planted widely for decades as promising ornamentals that flower spectacularly in the spring. Although the original Bradford variety was considered self-sterile, as new cultivars were developed the pears began to cross-pollinate and viable seeds scattered by birds and other animals turned the beautiful ornamental into one of America's most invasive species.
The pear trees at the Highways 60-67 cloverleaf were planted along with the crape myrtles in a $115,000 project funded largely by MoDOT. Initially, the pears were considered desirable ornamentals. Over time, however, the trees produced fertile seed and grew into nearly impenetrable thickets that shaded out the blooming capabilities of the sun-loving crape myrtles.
Don "Butch" Anderson, in charge of area maintenance for MoDOT when the beautification project began, now serves as the Butler County Commissioner for the Eastern District. Anderson, now retired from MoDOT, helped secure the funding for the project in the late 1990s. With the cooperation of the Poplar Bluff Garden Clubs, the city of Poplar Bluff and Butler County, along with many citizen volunteers affiliated with the Community Betterment organization, the MoDOT project was recognized statewide for its beautification success. The late Riley Mathias was a key figure in the planting and maintenance of the project in the early years.
Realizing that the once-desirable pear trees had turned into a troubling invasion threatening the other plantings, Poplar Bluff Garden Club member Jane Hansmann contacted MDC's regional office seeking help earlier this year. Pelton and his local crew of forest resource assistants accepted the challenge and started to work in June.
The recent eradication effort led by MDC, which is ongoing, is being accomplished with the full understanding and cooperation of those involved in the original plantings. As has been the case with other plants that originally were planted deliberately and thought to be beneficial -- kudzu vine and multi-flora rose being two notable examples -- the Callery pears now are considered extremely invasive.
The April 2018 issue of the Missouri Conservationist magazine featured a page of photos and information explaining why Callery pears never should be planted.
"A single wild (pear) tree can produce and spread a tremendous amount of seeds, dispersed primarily by birds, to form dense thickets that outcompete native plants," according to Nate Muenks, an MDC habitat coordinator. The ornamental that was so widely planted beginning in the 1950s now has turned into a nightmarish invasive species that is spreading to overtake roadsides, pastures and natural wildlife habitat.
MDC is strongly recommending to home and business owners with Bradford pear plantings to remove the trees and replace them with native species such as the eastern redbud, flowering dogwood, serviceberry or other spring-blooming varieties.
After final spraying of scattered pear saplings is completed by MDC personnel, the thick stands of large crape myrtles will need to be thinned, according to those involved. Garden Club members have volunteered to assist in pruning and in finding sites for transplanting at least some of the surplus shrubs.
"Full sunshine is really essential for crape myrtles to thrive and bloom properly," explained forester Pelton, who also is a volunteer member of the City Tree Advisory Board. County Commissioner Anderson has offered the services of County Highway Department heavy equipment to dig and transplant to other park and roadside sites some of the crape myrtles that need to be removed to enhance the flowering process.
Because of the sheer numbers of crape myrtles involved, the project is expected to stretch well into next year because transplanting usually is advisable only in the fall and spring.