10/27/2026
Pardon our stumps! Wood County Park District is working on removing invasive Callery pear trees from landscape areas at Bradner Preserve and Cedar Creeks Preserve. 🌳
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), also known as Bradford pear, is a deciduous tree from Asia that was once valued as an ornamental landscape tree due to its fast growth, showy blooms, and tolerance of urban conditions. In early spring, the clusters of white flowers emit a strong odor often compared to rotting fish.
The Callery pear produces small, hard, woody pear fruits that are easily spread by birds and wildlife. Callery pear trees are widely considered invasive across North America and are even banned in Ohio and other states from being grown, sold, or planted due to their tendency to form dense thickets and choke out native plant life, destroying the diversity of our local habitats.
Wood County Park District will be replacing these invasive Callery pear trees with native blooming tree species that better support the local habitat and wildlife.
If you are looking to replace a Callery pear tree in your own yard, or just add some native seasonal blooms to your garden, consider planting native tree species like Eastern Redbud, Pagoda or Flowering Dogwood, and Allegheny or Downy Serviceberry.
🌸 Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our park landscapes! 🌸
