Henderson residents can remove Bradford pear trees and get free replacements: Find out how

HENDERSONVILLE - They are the early bloomers of every spring season, and their white blossoms are signs that winter is just about over.

According to an article from the North Carolina State University Extension Forestry, the Bradford pear tree is considered an invasive species, which smells of rotten fish, breaks easily during storms and outcompetes native trees.

The Bradford pears' blooms can be seen popping up in early March all throughout Henderson County, and the Hendersonville Tree Board is looking to help stop the trees from taking over. According to a news release, the board is joining in a statewide program called N.C. Bradford Pear Bounty, which purpose is to remove Bradford pears and provide replacement trees for homeowners willing to participate.

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“This is a unique program to help stop the spread of what has become an invasive tree species — the Bradford pear,” Mary Davis, Hendersonville Tree Board member and local coordinator of this event, said in the release.  “The Tree Board has stepped up to work with the statewide agencies to sponsor the Bradford Pear Bounty locally. Volunteers are needed to help distribute replacement trees on May 4, so we’re inviting folks to sign up to help out.”

According to the release, residents can receive replacement trees at no charge when they remove up to five Bradford Pear trees on their property. Registration for the program is underway, and the pickup date for replacement trees is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. May 4 at Hendersonville Operations Center, 305 Williams St.

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The N.C. Bradford Pear Bounty program is a collaborative program between the N.C. Cooperative Extension, the N.C. Urban Forestry Council, the N.C. Forest Service and the N.C. Wildlife Federation, which aims to eliminate these trees that are “invasive, weak, annoying and stinky,” according to program organizers.

Online pre-registration is required and available at www.treebountync.com. There is also a list on the website of several local tree-care service providers offering discounts for those participating in the program.

Tree removal is the homeowner’s responsibility. Before-and-after photos must be brought to the May 4 event. If the tree was not flowering when cut, an additional photo with a close up of the leaves or bark is required. Replacement trees are free, native, and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

One native tree is exchanged for each Bradford Pear tree removal. Up to five trees can be exchanged. Below is a list of typical native trees available.

• Boxelder (Acer negundo)

• Red maple (Acer rubrum)

• Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

• Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)

• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

• Flowering dogwood (Benthamidia florida)

• River birch (Betula nigra)

• Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

• American beech (Fagus grandifolia)

• Tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

• Swamp blackgum (Nyssa biflora)

• Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

• Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)

To learn more about the Bradford Pear Bounty program and/or to register to participate go to www.treebountync.com. To volunteer to help at the event on May 4, email Mary Davis at hokiemd@vt.edu by May 1. To learn more about Hendersonville Tree Board and its projects, visit http://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/tree-board.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Program gives replacement trees for removal of Bradford pear trees