Tree removal, planting planned in city

Morganton, NC – Monday, April 3, 2023

Bradford Pear trees in multiple locations around the City of Morganton will be removed in the next couple weeks due to the species becoming invasive. The trees will be removed by the City of Morganton Electric Department from around the Catawba River Soccer Complex at the Morganton Greenway and at Gene Turner Field behind the Collett Street Recreation Center.

The removal process will take a few weeks to complete. City officials urge citizens to be aware of the tree removal sites and not to go near when the trees are actively being cut down.

The Bradford Pear tree is an invasive species, having the ability to breed with other varieties of pear trees that produce long thorns and spread in natural forests and open land. Therefore they replace native trees and create what the North Carolina State Extension Office calls a “food desert”  for birds by reducing wildlife habitat.

The North Carolina Bradford Pear Bounty website said, “Bradford pear trees are not native to the United States.​ These trees are cultivars of the Callery pear, which were brought to the U.S. from China in the early 1900s in an attempt to hybridize them and improve disease resistance of pear trees. By 1950, the Bradford pear cultivar had been planted widely, and other cultivars have been produced since.” It was believed that these trees would not be able to spread.

Being invasive is not the only reason the city has chosen to take down and replace the trees. They are also structurally weak and can split under heavy winds, snow and ice storms.

The city will be planting shade trees to take the place of the Bradford Pears and the wood harvested from the Bradford Pears will be repurposed into mulch.

For more information about Bradford Pear trees or the Bradford Pear Exchange, read more at: https://www.treebountync.com/ or at https://forestry.ces.ncsu.edu/2023/02/nc-bradford-pear-bounty/