Kettering wants to purge invasive Callery pear trees from the city.
The state of Ohio outlawed new plantings of the Callery pear tree in January 2023 because it’s so invasive.
An initiative by the Kettering Tree Committee wants to remove the trees from city-owned land and replace them with native species. The committee is establishing annual removal goals to improve Kettering’s urban forest. The city even has a tracker online that will clock how many pear trees have been removed.
In a statement, the city of Kettering said native trees are better because they’ve naturally adapted to Ohio’s climate soils and wildlife, making them far more beneficial than invasive species like the Callery pear.
“Over thousands of years, (native trees) have evolved alongside local wildlife, providing essential food and shelter for birds, butterflies, insects, and other creatures,” the city of Kettering said in a statement.
“Unlike Callery pears, which host zero native insects and offer little to no support for the local food web, native trees sustain hundreds of species of insects—crucial food for birds and other wildlife.”
Replacing Callery pears with native trees can improve stormwater management, increase canopy resilience, reduce maintenance costs and restore local food webs.
Residents can get in on the movement. Local companies like Tree Care Inc. are offering discounts for removing Callery pears. Residents can also get a free native tree sapling as a replacement.
More information can be found on Kettering's Parks and Recreation website.
