‘Bounty’ offered on invasive Bradford pear trees in NC

A new program in North Carolina is placing a “bounty” on invasive Bradford pear trees as they spread through forests in the state. North Carolina State University says the initiative is set to start with an April 23 event in Greensboro and could expand to more locations in the fall. It will allow people to get up to five new native trees for their yards in exchange for cutting down the same number of Bradford pears. Forestry professor Kelly Oten says the white-flowered tree with a distinctive smell can breed with other types of pear trees and spread in forests to replace native trees and create food deserts for birds.