Each year MC-IRIS chooses one invasive plant species on which to focus education and control efforts. For 2023 we have chosen Callery pear - join us to help reduce the amount of this invasive tree in Monroe County!
Flowering branch of Callery pear

Help Stop the Spread of Callery Pear and Get a Free Native Replacement Tree!

If you remove a Callery pear that's over 2" diameter from your landscaping you can choose from one of the four native trees in the slide show to the left and in the table below.
Applications due August 1 for 2023!
For more information on these native trees, look them up in the Missouri Botanic Garden's Plant Finder.
Callery pear has escaped from city green spaces, residential yards, and business landscaping throughout Monroe County.  It spreads easily to neighboring properties, along right-of-way corridors, and into our surrounding forests and fields, negatively impacting our biodiversity and watersheds. 

Why should you control Callery pear?
  • Callery pear invades open areas and forests, displacing wildflowers.
  • Callery pear can dominate forest understories, growing faster than our native hardwoods and replacing them to form monocultures.
  • Birds need 75% of the local plant base to be native to produce enough insect larvae to feed their offspring; Callery pear endangers that food source.


Want to share information on why Callery pear is a problem with neighbors or businesses?

Here's a flyer you can print out!
Watch for these signs in City of Bloomington Parks and Monroe County Parks!
Billboard sponsored by MC-IRIS on N. Walnut in April-May
As documented in this April 2021 video by WTIU, reporter Emma Atkinson shows just how much Callery pear we have in Monroe County, and why it's a problem.

Citizens Speak Out on Callery Pear!

Here are a sampling of Letters to the Editor that have appeared in The Herald Times this year:
To the Editor:
Diversity is the spice of life--even in natural areas! Something as simple as tree height can make a huge difference in the health of a forest. For example, tall trees provide shade for understory plants, help birds of prey hunt, and protect younger/smaller trees from storm and wind damage. A diverse forest also has higher chance at surviving disease and pests, and provides countless food and shelter options for wildlife! Not all species are interested in living together, though…
As an early bloomer and a quick grower, Callery Pears are great at creating “Callery Pear ONLY” zones. Though beautiful while flowering, having an area made up of one species, that will grow to be the same size and height, with shared weaknesses, and with limited environmental benefits, will only result in a weak, disease prone, minimal wildlife zone.
If you want a tree with beautiful flowers, and tasty fruits (for you and wildlife), remove your Callery Pear and replace it with an American plum or Serviceberry tree.  HOT TIP: Take a picture of your removed Callery Pear tree and submit it to MC-IRIS.org in exchange for a FREE Native replacement tree (Serviceberry is an option)!
Autumn Brunelle
To the Editor:
This year's Reduce One Invasive Challenge from the county's invasive species organization MC-IRIS targets Bradford pear and its relatives - grouped as Callery pear.
Over the last decade, Callery pear trees have become a regular pest in my yard, in properties I help to protect against invasive species, and on the IU campus. It seems to be everywhere. Mature trees provide a ready source of small fruits for birds to eat and then spread seeds. As a result, the species is such a pest that the city has disallowed its use in new developments.
I'm looking forward to seeing the source of these problems severely reduced over the next year. The MC-IRIS website (MC-IRIS.org) has more information for those who want to join the fun, including attractive alternatives for planting. 
Vicky Meretsky, Bloomington
What can I do about this?
  • Remove Callery pear in your landscaping by cutting it down, and then paint the stump with herbicide to stop sprouting (more information on control here). And then reward yourself by applying for a free native replacement tree!
  • Have a neighbor or a business with Callery pear? Print out this flyer and give to them with encouragement to replace the tree -- for free!
  • Map any Callery pears you see in Monroe County with this easy to use app.
  • Join MC-IRIS on our work days to help remove Callery pear and other invasive species from Monroe County natural areas.
Is this the same thing as Bradford pear?

Callery pear is the parent species of Bradford pear, which is one cultivar of Callery pear. Other cultivars include Cleveland Select, Autumn Blaze, Aristocrat, Red Spire, Chanticleer, and many others. All cultivars of Callery pear are invasive - there are no exceptions.
More information on the struggle to ban Callery pear from sale in Indiana can be found here.

How do I identify Callery pear?

Discounts For Callery Pear Removal


Thanks to three local businesses have stepped up to offer a discount on Callery pear removal! Please contact them to take advantage of their offers, and tell them MC-IRIS sent you!
Bluestone Tree
bloomington@bluestonetree.com
812-824-3335
https://bluestonetree.com/
Discount offer:
1 tree- 15% discount 
2-5 trees- 25%
6-10 trees- 30%
11-30 trees- 35%
Over 30 trees- 40%
 
Norman Arborcare
Andrew Norman
normanarborcare@gmail.com
812-371-2142
https://www.facebook.com/normanarborcare/
Discount offer: We will offer $100.00 off the proposed bid for a removal of a Callery Pear. We also plant trees and shrubs, and would be happy to provide bids to those residents interested in having their 1-2" native replacement tree planted for them.
 

What are the rules regarding planting Callery pear in Monroe County?

In Bloomington: Due to spreading infestations, Callery pear is no longer planted by the City of Bloomington, and it is disallowed in new developments by the City's Unified Development Ordinance. Erin Hatch, Urban Forester with the City of Bloomington, is the best person to contact to remove Callery pear located in sidewalk green strips and other right-of-way areas. These are considered city trees. Erin notes, “If adjacent property owners wish to conduct tree work, such as removal of these trees, at their own cost, they can submit a tree work permit application, found on the webpage for the City's Urban Forest.” If the tree is dead or dying, or poses a safety risk, the city will remove at their cost. Visit this page https://bloomington.in.gov/about/trees
TreeKeeper website is an online inventory of almost all of our street trees and some of our park trees in Bloomington. Visit this page https://bloomington.in.gov/about/trees
Outside Bloomington: .Callery pear cannot be used to meet the minimum standards required for site plan approval for landscaping new commercial sites or multi-family developments, or when street trees are required for subdivisions. You can only use species on the approved native plant list. Details can be found in Chapter 830, the Monroe County landscaping ordinance.
How it started. Callery pear is commonly found in Monroe County malls and subdivisions.
How it's going. Callery pear is escaping and invading forests like this one. All the green is Callery pear.

Ready to control this invasive tree?  More details on Callery pear control methods can be found here.