South Carolina residents are getting some help in combating a major invasive plant, according to WLTX.
Homeowners who are able to remove up to five Bradford pear trees from their property can get replacement trees through a renewed bounty program run by Clemson University and the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Those who register need to provide photographic proof of the removals.
Bradford pear trees have a strong smell that many find problematic, and the limb joints are weak enough to eventually snap under their own weight. When their seeds spread, they grow into Callery pear trees, which suffer from both those issues in addition to extremely thorny branches.
That's just the beginning of the downsides.
Bradford pear is native to eastern Asia and is invasive in the U.S. When a species is taken from its native habitat, it's freed of the checks and balances it evolved with. In a new location, invasive species can freely multiply, monopolize resources, and push out local species.
As biodiversity declines, so too do ecosystem services that people and animals rely on.
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Invasive species overall incur hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of costs around the world annually. Bradford pear is enough of a problem in this regard that it's been banned in Missouri.
Aggressive removal and planting native alternatives is a great way to combat the problem and upgrade your yard. Native plants evolved for their local climate, making them drought-resistant. That means less work for homeowners maintaining the yard, and less money spent on water.
Authorities were excited to promote participation in this year's bounty program.
"I have been working on the biology and management of Bradford and Callery pears for years," said Clemson Extension Forest Health Specialist Dave Coyle. "I'm trying to remove these invasive plants and help people that own the land and manage the land get native stuff back in there so we can have a more fully functioning natural environment."
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