NC Bradford Pear Bounty in Buncombe – October 4th, 2025 - Buncombe County Center

NC Bradford Pear Bounty in Buncombe – October 4th, 2025

— Written by Holly Jordan | June 12, 2025

DATE: October 4, 2025

TIME: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Buncombe County Interchange Building
59 Woodfin place, Asheville, NC 28801

The beauty of the Bradford Pear tree is only skin deep. Once appreciated for it’s amazing spring floral show, it has now become a landscape hazard with it’s brittle branching and as an invasive plant pest invading wooded areas and gardens around the area.

The NC Bradford Pear Bounty is a collaborative program between NC State Extension, NC Urban Forest Council, NC Forest Service and NC Wildlife Federation. The program’s goal is to help encourage and educate landowners and businesses to be aware and remove Bradford Pear trees from the landscape.

N.C. Cooperative Extension Center in Buncombe County and The NC State Extension Master GardenerSM Association in Buncombe county are excited to make this program available in Buncombe County in 2025.

If you have a Bradford Pear tree and want to participate in this program see the requirements below.

Bradford Pear Bounty Program Requirements

Pre-registration is required (see below)
One native tree is exchanged for each Bradford/Callery pear tree removed. Up to five (5) trees can be exchanged.
Replacement trees are free, native, and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Replacement tree list. This is not the final list but represents the types of trees that have been available in the past. You will select your tree on the day of the replacement pick up October 4th.
Participants MUST attend at the location and date/time of the event to pick up their trees. October 4 from 9 – 11 a.m.
A before and after photo must be brought to the event (i.e., a picture of the tree standing and a picture of the tree on the ground/cut). If the tree was not flowering when cut, an additional photo with a close up of the leaves or bark is required.
Tree removal is the homeowner’s responsibility. Several tree care service providers are offering discounts for those participating in the program. See the removal discounts page for more information.
Only the homeowner can register and receive replacement trees.
Any North Carolina resident is eligible, Buncombe County residents preferred.

Register Online Here

AFTER THE TREE IS REMOVED “After the tree is removed, be aware that the stump and any roots will resprout. After cutting, it is recommended to treat the stump with a herbicide to prevent resprouting. Callery pear is persistent, so monitoring is often required to ensure that resprouting does not occur. Reinvasion may occur, requiring more removal and treatment.” This excerpt was taken from the following article. Visit the link to read more.

Callery Pear: ‘Bradford’ and Other Varieties and Their Invasive Progeny

Bradford Pear: An Invasive Pest Article by Luke Owen, Agent in Buncombe County

QUESTIONS?
Call N.C. Cooperative Extension, Buncombe County Center 828-255-5522

This program is a partnership with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Buncombe County Center and funded by the Extension Master GardenerSM Association in Buncombe County.