Latest news with #CalleryPears
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
K-State research and extension upcoming callery pear program: pear down
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Abigail Gettinger and Lane Weins with K-State Research and Extension joined the 27 News morning newscast to discuss an upcoming workshop, Pear Down: Managing Callery Pears in NE Kansas. During the workshop, you can learn more about the Callery Pear, its identification, management, history, the negative effects the tree has on local ecosystems and more. The workshop is from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 9th at the Rossville Senior Center at 429 Pearl St. in Rossville. Exploring Topeka's oldest businesses and their lasting legacy The workshop is free but you do have to register, you can do so by calling 785-232-0062 or by emailing msbarron@ To hear more about the workshop and the Callery Pear, you can watch the interview above. To learn more about the workshop, click here. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Life finds a way: Why the Callery Pear Tree is such a problem in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — They're a tree you won't see in many nurseries anymore. The Callery Pear and its variations are all over the state, with ongoing efforts by environmental organizations to remove them. Imported from Asia, the trees were originally used as landscaping for their more desirable qualities. They're big and round, with white flowers blooming in the Spring. But their drawbacks quickly became apparent, with the smell being most obvious. The Kansas Forest Service says for the Sunflower State the problem grows much deeper than that. 'It also has kind of a more ominous nature to it,' Shad Hufnagel, Forest Health Director for the Kansas Forest Service, said. 'They grow so aggressively that they will push out native vegetation and disrupt natural ecosystems.' The tree was thought to be incapable of reproducing, which was part of the appeal. 'These trees that were initially … independently sterile, have found a way to cross pollinate because of these cultivars that have been developed, including the Bradford Pear,' Hufnagel said. The Bradford, Cleveland Select and Aristocrat are some of the sub-variations (cultivars) of the Callery Pear. To mitigate the spread, the Forest Service are going so far as to renew their buy-back program for Callery Pears in 2026. The tree is well-known to nurseries in Wichita, like Johnson's Garden Center. 'I hate to cut down trees, but if they're causing problems then it has to be dealt with,' Ryan Johnson, Assistant Manager at Johnson's Garden Center said. He hasn't seen any this year, but Johnson frequently deals with customers looking to replace their Callery Pears. He and the Forest Service agree that these trees and their cultivars are ill-suited for the Kansas environment. 'For Kansas, at least. It's just very structurally not sound for our winds. [With] the branching structure, you can lose half that tree in a heavy wind storm,' Johnson said. Losing your pear tree doesn't mean there aren't options. Local nurseries offer plenty of other trees, perfectly suited for your garden and for the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
