A row of Bradford pears in a Charlotte strip mall parking lot changed my view on them

I was in Charlotte for a job and saw a whole line of them, maybe twenty trees, all split right down the middle from a recent ice storm. The owner said he'd planted them because they were cheap and grew fast. Seeing that much damage in one spot, all from the same weak structure, really hit home for me. Do you still recommend them to clients who want a quick shade tree, or is the risk just too high now?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_bennett316h ago

That line about them splitting right down the middle is so common. I saw a post from a city arborist last year showing the exact same thing after a storm, calling them a "liability planting." They said the cleanup costs always outweigh the cheap initial price.

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sage_perry14h ago

Yeah, "liability planting" is the perfect term for it. I've seen that exact split so many times it's a joke. @margaret_bennett3 is right, cities and developers go for the cheap fast-growing trees to make a place look nice quick, but they never think ten years down the road. The weak structure means a good storm turns them into a mess of broken limbs and blocked roads. Spending a bit more on a stronger species from the start saves a ton on cleanup and replacement later.