Bradford Pear Removal in Asheboro, NC

By Visionaries Tree Solutions, Asheboro, NC · September 28, 2026

For years, Bradford pears were planted along streets and in front yards across North Carolina for their white spring flowers. Today, NC State Extension will give you a free native tree for each one you take down. Here is why, and how to take part.

Why Bradford Pears Break

Bradford pear limbs grow steeply upward from the trunk at tight, narrow angles. Those joints are weak, and as the tree gets bigger and heavier, whole limbs tend to split away, often in wind, ice or heavy snow. A Bradford pear that looked fine last spring can drop half its crown in one storm, onto a roof, a car or a fence.

Why They Are Called Invasive

The Bradford pear is a variety of Callery pear. Different Callery pear varieties cross-pollinate and set fruit, and birds spread the seeds into fields, roadsides and woods. According to NC State, the wild pears that grow from those seeds:

Spread fast and crowd out native trees
Form dense, thorny thickets that shade out other plants
Leaf out before native trees, taking the light first
Grow thorns 1 to 4 inches long that can injure livestock and puncture tractor tires
Support few insects, which weakens the food chain for birds

The NC Bradford Pear Bounty

NC State Extension Forestry runs the NC Bradford Pear Bounty with the North Carolina Urban Forest Council, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and the North Carolina Forest Service. It works like this:

Remove a Bradford pear from your property and take before and after photos
Pre-register for one of the program's regional events
Receive one free native tree for each Bradford pear removed, up to five trees
Choose from about 10 to 15 native species, depending on the event

As of spring 2026, NC State reported that the program had held 18 events since 2022 and replaced more than 3,000 Bradford pears. The bounty does not pay for the removal itself, so check treebountync.com for event dates and details before you schedule the work. Several states, including South Carolina, have banned the sale and planting of Bradford pears.

Removing a Bradford Pear

Most Bradford pears are straightforward to take down, but a split or leaning one needs care because the wood can tear unpredictably. Callery pears can also sprout back from the stump, so stump grinding is worth adding to the job. It also leaves the spot ready for your new tree. If you plan to join the bounty, take your before photo before we start, and we will leave the site ready for your after photo.

What to Plant Instead

If you loved the spring flowers, North Carolina natives such as eastern redbud, flowering dogwood and serviceberry bloom in spring without the weak limbs or the spread. The bounty events offer native trees like these, depending on the event.