Species Profile
Callery Pear: the tree Ohio finally banned
Drive I-71 south of Columbus in early April and you'll see it before you can name it. A wash of white blossom along the medians and old pastures. It looks like the season turning. It's actually the fastest-moving invasive tree in the state, and as of 2023 it's illegal to plant here.
Why it's suddenly everywhere
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) was sold for decades as the "Bradford" pear, prized for its tidy shape and early flowers. Bradford was supposed to be sterile. Once nurseries brought in other Callery varieties, the trees cross-pollinated and started setting fruit that birds could spread.
And spread it they did. Research from the University of Dayton found that birds, European starlings in particular, drive the tree's advance by eating the small fruits and dropping the seed along fencerows and field edges (University of Dayton, 2022). That's why you see it reclaiming old fields across Franklin, Delaware, and Pickaway counties, always starting at the unmowed edges where birds perch.
The Ohio ban, in plain terms
As of January 1, 2023, it became illegal to sell, grow, or plant Callery pear anywhere in Ohio (Ohio Department of Natural Resources). The ban stops new trees going in the ground. It does nothing about the ones already out there, which keep seeding every spring. That gap, banned but still spreading, is exactly where a homeowner's choice matters.
How to know it
Look for dense clusters of five-petaled white flowers in very early spring, usually before native trees leaf out. Up close the bloom has a distinctly sour smell. Leaves are glossy, rounded, with a faintly wavy edge. Wild seedlings often carry stout thorns the ornamental parents lacked, which is why a Callery thicket is miserable to push through.
Getting rid of one without it coming back
Seedlings pull by hand when the soil is wet. An established tree is the stubborn case, because a cut stump resprouts hard. Cutting alone just makes it angry.
The approach that actually works is cut-and-treat: take the tree down and treat the fresh stump the same day, or use a basal bark treatment in late winter. If you'd rather skip herbicide, repeated cutting over two or three seasons will eventually starve a small tree, though it's slow. For anything large or near a building, this is worth handing to a professional who can drop it cleanly and treat the stump so you're not fighting it again next year.
What to plant instead
Pull a Callery pear and you open a sunny gap, which is an invitation for the next invader. Fill it. These Ohio natives handle the same open, disturbed ground the pear favored, and they feed birds and pollinators the pear never did.
| Native tree | Fills the same role | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) | Early white spring bloom, small yard tree | June berries for birds, clean fall color |
| Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) | Showy early flower, understory size | Pink spring bloom, pollinator value |
| Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) | Ornamental spring tree | Spring flowers, red fall fruit for wildlife |
| American plum (Prunus americana) | Thicket-forming field-edge tree | White bloom, fruit, dense cover |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Callery pear illegal in Ohio?
Yes. Since January 1, 2023, it's been illegal to sell, grow, or plant Callery pear (including Bradford) in Ohio. You aren't required to remove trees already on your property, but you can't put new ones in.
What can I plant instead of a Callery pear?
For the same early-spring bloom and small size, serviceberry, redbud, flowering dogwood, or American plum all work well on Central Ohio's sunny edges, and unlike the pear they actually feed local wildlife. See our full native alternatives guide.
How do I kill a Callery pear so it doesn't resprout?
Cutting alone won't do it, because the stump resprouts. Cut and treat the stump the same day, or use a basal bark treatment in late winter. Herbicide-free, repeated cutting over a few seasons can starve a small one.
Are there programs to help replace invasive trees in Ohio?
Several Central Ohio soil and water conservation districts and city programs run "buy-back" or trade-in events that swap a removed invasive for a free native. Timing varies by county, so check with your local SWCD in late winter.
The takeaway
The ban did the easy part. The rest is on the ground: the trees already seeding our field edges won't stop on their own. Taking one out and putting a native back in its place is a small thing that, multiplied across a county, is how a watershed stays itself. If you're deciding what goes back in the gap, start with our native alternatives.