State offers bounties for invasive, foul-smelling Bradford Pear trees

A Bradford Pear tree with a split trunk in Hillsborough. (Sarah Ellis / Carolina Connection)

There’s a bounty out in North Carolina, and the culprit is a stinky tree. State forestry officials want residents to remove Bradford Pear trees. The foul-smelling trees have become an invasive species, and some North Carolina residents who remove the tree from their yards will be rewarded with one native tree of their choice.

Sarah Ellis reports.

11 Comments

    • That’s a fact. If the state really wants to get rid of them, it should pay for their removal.

    • Amen, Dawn! There are about 4 or 5 of these trees in my yard (planted by the previous landowner). There’s no way we could afford the expense of removing these and replacing them!

  1. I just purchased a home one year ago that has four full grown Bradford Pear trees across the front of it. I couldn’t afford to have even one of these trees removed. Is there any organization that would remove them at no cost?

    • We had two taken down by Asplundh because they were planted by previous owner under the power lines. They met the conditions of Duke Energy and Asplundh’s contract. So there’s one way to get them down. We are fortunate to have a grader who can take the other five down.

  2. I have a volunteer Bradford pear tree. I cannot afford to have it removed. Currently there is a squirrel nest which I am sure will have babies soon. I would love to have the tree removed and a native tree to replace it.

    • If the state offered to pay the expenses to remove them and replace that would get everyone to do it. No one can afford to cut them down themselves. Even if they didn’t offer a new tree and just paid to cut them down it would be better

  3. I have 4 on my property that my grandfather planted. The only way I would have them removed, is if the state came and got them and replaced them for dogwoods. My grandmother’s ashes are spread under the trees.

  4. If the State wants them gone, but can’t afford to pay for their removal, why not have homeowners document the trees and the cost they paid to remove them and the have the state take it off our taxes. State doesn’t shell out actual money and we would in a way be reimbursed by getting to deduct the expense of removal. Just a thought.

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