WLWT: Beautiful pear tree causes ugly invasive problem
UC biologist suggests homeowners consider replacing tree with native alternatives
WLWT spoke to a biologist with the University of Cincinnati about a pretty but invasive ornamental tree that is in bloom now across Ohio.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Theresa Culley, head of UC's Department of Biological Sciences, told WLWT that the Bradford or Callery pear tree was sterile when growers introduced it to neighborhoods across the Midwest in the 1960s.
Theresa Culley. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC
But this tree from Asia tended to split at its trunk, so growers introduced other varieties that cross-pollinated with Bradford pear trees and began producing seed-bearing fruit.
Soon, the pear trees were showing up in disturbed patches of forest and along highway edges in Ohio and other states.
An Ohio law went into effect last year making the selling, growing or planting of Callery pears illegal statewide.
Culley said homeowners might consider replacing pear trees in their yards with native plants.
"A lot of people really love their tree," she said.
One alternative is to spray the tree with plant-growth regulator treatments available at home and garden shops that inhibit a tree's development of fruit, she said.
Featured image at top: A mockingbird perches in a Callery pear tree. Photo/Michael Miller
Related Stories
Tips to avoid headaches this holiday season
December 15, 2025
A University of Cincinnati migraine expert offered a list of potential headache triggers around the holidays, and how you can try to avoid them, to 91.7 WVXU News. "There are a number of different factors that make this a very headache provocative time," said Vincent Martin, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Gardner Neuroscience Institute.
Local couple uses royalties from children's books to give gifts to kids in need
December 15, 2025
A local couple has found a unique way to give back to those in need this holiday season. Vic and Laura Troha wrote two children's books together, and this year, they are using the proceeds to buy Christmas gifts for Hamilton County foster kids. The couple are both graduates of the University of Cincinnati's College of Allied Health Sciences and met the day they graduated.
The hottest toys this holiday season
December 15, 2025
Local 12 turned to Lindner College of Business associate professor-educator of marketing Roseann Hassey to explain what’s got the trendiest items flying off the shelves.