Ohio Banned the Bradford Pear — Here's Why, and What to Plant Instead

Ohio Said Goodbye to the Bradford Pear — and Good Riddance

If you've driven through central Ohio in early spring, you know the scene: white clouds of bloom lining every subdivision, parking lot, and roadside. For decades the Callery pear — sold under names like Bradford, Cleveland Select, and Aristocrat — was the go-to ornamental tree for homeowners and developers alike. Cheap, fast-growing, and flashy in April.

Ohio officially banned the sale, distribution, and planting of Callery pear (*Pyrus calleryana*) effective January 1, 2023. The state had passed the underlying regulation in 2018 and gave the nursery industry a five-year phase-out window, but the deadline is now in the rearview mirror. If you're still shopping for a Callery pear at an Ohio garden center, you won't find one — and that's the right call.

Here's why the ban happened, what it means for trees already in your yard, and which trees actually deserve a spot in the ground.

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Why Callery Pear Got Banned

The "Sterile" Myth Fell Apart

When Bradford pear first went to market in the 1960s, it was marketed as a sterile cultivar — a tree that produced fruit too small for birds and couldn't reproduce on its own. That was partly true: a single Bradford pear, pollinating itself, produces little viable seed.

The problem is that nobody plants just one cultivar anymore. Nurseries introduced Cleveland Select, Aristocrat, Chanticleer, and a dozen other Callery pear varieties over the decades. Cross-pollination between different cultivars is highly productive. Birds eat the small fruit, fly to the edge of a field or a highway median, and drop seeds in open ground. Those seedlings are not the tidy ornamental tree from the nursery tag — they are thorny, aggressive, and nearly impossible to eradicate by hand.

Drive out to Pickaway County or down any rural two-lane in Franklin or Delaware County and you'll see the result: dense thickets of thorny wild pear colonizing fence lines, roadsides, and forest edges, crowding out the native plants that wildlife depends on.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture lists Callery pear as a Class A Restricted invasive plant under the Ohio Invasive Plant Council's guidance — meaning its sale, propagation, and transport are prohibited statewide.

Structural Failures Are a Safety Problem

Beyond the ecological damage, Bradford pears are a liability in your yard. The original Bradford cultivar grows with multiple upright stems that all attach at nearly the same point on the trunk — a configuration called "co-dominant stems with included bark." When ice loads up or a spring thunderstorm rolls through, those stems split from the crotch down. I've seen Bradford pears that looked perfectly healthy in March lying in pieces on a driveway by May.

Most homeowners come to us after the damage is done. The repair bill — plus stump grinding, debris removal, and whatever fence or car was underneath — almost always exceeds what removal would have cost three years earlier.

The Smell

This one isn't a safety issue, but it deserves mention: the flowers smell like rotting fish or, to be polite about it, like a locker room. The compound responsible is trimethylamine, the same chemical produced by decaying organic matter. It's strong enough to notice from across the yard. If you've ever wondered why your neighbors' "white flowering tree" smells odd in April, now you know.

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What Happens to Trees Already in Your Yard?

The ban covers sale, distribution, and new planting only. Ohio law does not require homeowners to remove existing Callery pears. Your tree is legal to keep.

That said, many homeowners are choosing to remove them — either because the tree has already started splitting, because they've noticed wild seedlings popping up along the fence line, or simply because they'd rather put a better tree in its place before the Bradford comes down on its own terms.

If you do decide to remove one, here's what matters: Callery pear re-sprouts aggressively from the stump and roots. Cut it flush to the ground and leave the stump, and you'll have a cluster of fast-growing shoots within a few weeks. The only reliable way to end the cycle is stump grinding — which removes the root crown where those sprouts originate — followed by monitoring for any new growth from remaining lateral roots for a season or two.

At Cedar & Oak we grind every Callery pear stump we remove, and we're upfront with clients about the monitoring step. We'd rather tell you about the follow-up than have you call us back frustrated six months later.

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Better Trees for Central Ohio

If you're replacing a Bradford pear — or just adding a spring-flowering tree — central Ohio has a deep bench of native options that offer the same seasonal appeal without the problems.

Spring flowers, similar size (15–25 feet): - Serviceberry (*Amelanchier* spp.) — White flowers in early April, often a week before Bradford pears. Edible berries for birds and people. Multi-season interest: fall color, winter silhouette. - Eastern redbud (*Cercis canadensis*) — The magenta-pink flowers in April are hard to beat. Native to Ohio, adaptable to most Central Ohio soils, and deer-resistant once established. - Flowering dogwood (*Cornus florida*) — Classic four-season tree: spring bracts, summer green, brilliant red fall color, and red berries for winter birds. Thrives in part shade.

Bigger canopy trees worth the wait: - Swamp white oak (*Quercus bicolor*) — Tolerates the wet clay soils common in Franklin and Delaware counties. Long-lived, supports hundreds of native insect species. - Blackgum / black tupelo (*Nyssa sylvatica*) — Arguably the best fall color of any Ohio native. Slow-growing but worth planting if you plan to stay in the house.

Underused natives that deserve more attention: - American hornbeam (*Carpinus caroliniana*) — Small, understory tree perfect for shady spots. Smooth, muscular gray bark and yellow-orange fall color. - Eastern hophornbeam (*Ostrya virginiana*) — Similar niche to hornbeam, slightly more sun-tolerant. The papery seed clusters (they look like hops) are a nice winter detail.

All of these trees support native pollinators, provide food and shelter for birds, and won't escape into your neighbor's field. Most are available at Ohio-based native plant nurseries, and several county soil and water conservation districts run annual sales at reduced cost.

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A Practical Note on Timing

If you're removing a Bradford pear this year, late fall through early spring is the ideal window — before the tree leafs out and while the ground is accessible. Grinding the stump immediately after removal gives the best results because the root system hasn't had time to push energy into new sprouts.

If your Bradford has already started splitting, don't wait. A partially failed tree is more dangerous and more expensive to remove than an intact one. Call us for an assessment — it's free, and I'll give you my honest read on whether the tree has another few years or needs to come down now.

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Get Your Bradford Pear Removed — and Plant Something Better

Cedar & Oak Tree Co. removes Callery pears throughout Columbus and Central Ohio. We grind the stump, haul the debris, and can advise on native replacements suited to your specific site and soil.

Book your free quote or call us at (555) 234-9100. We'll come out, assess the tree, and give you a straight answer — no pressure, no upsell.

*Marcus Cedar, ISA Certified Arborist #OH-9912A, has been removing and replanting trees in Central Ohio for over a decade. He is the owner of Cedar & Oak Tree Co.*