Join MDC for invasive Callery pear ‘buyback’ program April 22 in southeast Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force (MoIP), the Missouri Community Forestry Council, and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri have teamed up to offer you a free, new native tree for cutting down your invasive Callery pear tree from 3 to 6 p.m. on April 22 in southeast Missouri.

As part of this special “buyback” event, participants who remove a Callery/Bradford pear tree will receive a potted native tree or shrub, donated by Forest ReLeaf and Forrest Keeling Nursery, in 3-gallon containers that stand between 4- and 5-feet tall.

One free native tree or shrub will be provided to each registered participant.

Participants must register by April 17 online at https://moinvasives.org/2025/01/31/2025-callery-pear-buyback/. Click on the desired location to start the registration process, upload at least one photo of the Callery pear tree cut down, and select the native tree species in return.

Participating pick-up locations within southeast Missouri include:

• Cape Girardeau – Cape Nature Center | 2289 County Park Dr. 
• Park Hills – Mineral Area College, Industry and Technology Center | 5270 Flat River Rd. 
• Sikeston – Southeast Missouri State University Sikeston Campus | 2401 Main St.

Native to Asia, Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) – also known as Bradford pears – include 26 cultivars which present significant ecological concerns in Missouri. Some of the most common cultivars offered commercially include Aristocrat, Autumn Blaze, Capital, Cleveland Select, Chanticleer, Red-spire, and Whitehouse.

“Callery pears have been an ornamental pear tree species many people have enjoyed for years,” said MDC Community Forester Jennifer Behnken. “However, besides the fact that these trees often break apart in storms, and that they have foul-smelling flowers, it turns out these trees are spreading throughout fields and forests, causing problems in urban and natural areas.”

Find more information about Callery pears online at https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/callery-pear-bradford-pear.