FORT KNOX, Ky. — Their flowers are the envy of Central Kentucky in the spring, causing many to admire them.
But the fact is, Callery pear trees, commonly known as Bradford pears, are not worth it, say forest management officials at Fort Knox.
“Callery pear’s ability to form dense thickets results in the shading out of native vegetation thus causing a rapid change in plant and wildlife communities, said David Jones, forestry program manager, Environmental Management Division, Fort Knox Directorate of Public Works. “This tree is a significant threat to native grasslands and grassland wildlife, but also invades forested areas jeopardizing forested ecosystems.”
Callery pears are not native to Kentucky. In fact, they are not even native to America, having been shipped in years ago from Asia as a fast-growing ornamental.
Jones said he and his team have an active plan in place to rid themselves of Callery pears and other invasives, directed by the Defense Department under Executive Order 13112. The plan includes mulching, shearing, mowing and grinding the pear tree stumps down to the ground in late fall.
Then in the spring, when sucker shoots rapidly grow up from the stumps, they soak them with herbicide. The trees’ desire to grow quickly forces them to take in the maximum amount of herbicide, which effectively kills them, or at least slows their progress for several years.
While the spring flowers are a beautiful sight to humans and a source of sustenance to some flying creatures, said Jones, the allure is not worth the destruction done by the trees.
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