BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 3, 2021
Bringing the Bradford pear tree to Maine seemed like a good idea at the time. Fast growing with early spring blooms of white flowers, the tree, also called callery pear, is a popular ornamental in the state. But it’s also an invasive species that smells incredibly bad and if it gets a foothold in Maine’s natural landscape, could have a devastating effect on native species. That’s what is happening right now in the southern United States. It’s gotten so bad in South Carolina that officials there are planning to outlaw the sale and purchase of the tree by 2024 and offering a bounty to eradicate existing trees.