In Praise of Bradford (callery) Pear

[PDXpyro]

Relatively new member here, so pardon me if I post too often: it's just been so great to find a hive of like-minded firewood fanatics. I see that Bradford pear has been hashed over on quite a few previous threads, with some positive and some middling opinions on its usefulness.

In this urban-fringe area, Bradford is EVERYWHERE, for some reason, and our local arborist has cords of it available freshly-felled every winter. Count me among those who regard BP as one of the very best firewoods around: when well-seasoned (dry) it seems to be about as heavy as oak pieces of a similar size, and burns very hot and long. I'd pick it over cherry any day, allowing for a bit longer curing time... Got about 3/4 cord free right up the street a couple of days ago, and our stove will be grateful in '14-15 and beyond. (mostly beyond, except for short/small splits.) Great stuff!

 

[Applesister]

Post On PDX! and never apologize for your enthusiasm.
I never heard of Bradford till Hearth. A genetically altered pear tree that does not produce fruit is an odd concept for me to grasp.
Of course burning and planting are 2 different things.
Burn on...

 

[Applesister]

There are some beautiful landscape photos of this tree planted mainly out west. Since pears are breathtaking in their spring blossom.
I read the wood is very brittle, maybe they are easily damaged by snow and harsh winds.
My guess is they are readily available at nurserys and are a good sell.

 

[Brewmonster]

"Genetically altered"? Mmmm...not really. Bradford is a cultivar derived from the species P. calleryana, a native of Asia. Like most cultivars, it is a selection. Usually some nurseryman notices something different and desirable in a specimen, then propagates it asexually to preserve its characteristics.

 

[Applesister]

Yes the technical terms I didnt feel like writing all out. "cultivated".
I take it you are a fan of the fruitless tree? (brewmonster)

 

[Wooddust]

Relatively new member here, so pardon me if I post too often: it's just been so great to find a hive of like-minded firewood fanatics. I see that Bradford pear has been hashed over on quite a few previous threads, with some positive and some middling opinions on its usefulness.

In this urban-fringe area, Bradford is EVERYWHERE, for some reason, and our local arborist has cords of it available freshly-felled every winter. Count me among those who regard BP as one of the very best firewoods around: when well-seasoned (dry) it seems to be about as heavy as oak pieces of a similar size, and burns very hot and long. I'd pick it over cherry any day, allowing for a bit longer curing time... Got about 3/4 cord free right up the street a couple of days ago, and our stove will be grateful in '14-15 and beyond. (mostly beyond, except for short/small splits.) Great stuff!

One of the newest plants to be considered invasive and may lead to sale of Bradford pear being banned. Terribly invAsive and terrible addition to any habitat

 

[Wooddust]

Relatively new member here, so pardon me if I post too often: it's just been so great to find a hive of like-minded firewood fanatics. I see that Bradford pear has been hashed over on quite a few previous threads, with some positive and some middling opinions on its usefulness.

In this urban-fringe area, Bradford is EVERYWHERE, for some reason, and our local arborist has cords of it available freshly-felled every winter. Count me among those who regard BP as one of the very best firewoods around: when well-seasoned (dry) it seems to be about as heavy as oak pieces of a similar size, and burns very hot and long. I'd pick it over cherry any day, allowing for a bit longer curing time... Got about 3/4 cord free right up the street a couple of days ago, and our stove will be grateful in '14-15 and beyond. (mostly beyond, except for short/small splits.) Great stuff!

Terribly invasive. May be banned for sale in some areas.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Bradford Pear is very common around here and I love it for fuelwood-dries nice, burns nice and throws very good heat-I get it whenever I can! It doesn't withstand bad winds and storms and cracks rather easily which is why I guess I get it in the local compost sites pretty often but it's good stuff!

 

[Brewmonster]

No, I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Bradford pear. It's been grossly overplanted and it doesn't age well, as others have said. Having no fruit (or not much) is one of its few virtues. Around here we have a lot of old Seckel pears that drop lots of fruit in late summer and they draw yellowjackets like mad. Unfortunately, the callery pear rootstock does bear fruit and birds spread the seed all over the place, resulting in the invasive status we see now.
But, hey, good firewood!

 

[Paulywalnut]

Terribly invasive. May be banned for sale in some areas.

I'm a fan of BP to cut it down, season it and burn it. Hoping it gets eliminated entirely from tree selections. Possible banning. Burns like apple though.

 

[TreeCo]

Not only does Bradford burn well, it makes nice looking chips, too! I get a lot of it in my tree biz and goes in my mixed hardwood firewood sales.

 

[Brick (ware)House]

Just saw a Bradford Pear tree on CL. I'd be interested to see how it burns but it is way too small to justify the time to go get it.

 

[PDXpyro]

Yes, as a tree it's been grossly overplanted along urban and suburban roadsides. Haven't seen any local complaints about its being invasive in this region though, and its bloom period is so very brief in the spring... between that and the trees' brittle fragility and short life, I'm puzzled by why it's been so popular in landscaping.

Still great burning wood, tho.

 

[Gunny]

Just to kind of interject an opinion. The "invasive species" you guys are referring to is not a true Bradford Pear. The Bradford Pear is a ornamental strain of Pyrus calleryana that when older does produce fruit but it is sterile and cannot germinate just like the Cleveland Select Pear. The invasive type is a common calleryana that is found in the wild all over. Maybe location is why people started referring the invasive type as a Bradford Pear. My father worked at a nursery and owned a landscape construction company installing many of these. I got this info from him who went to Michigan State University for a Horticulture Degree. Just a little tid bit of info.

 

[Brewmonster]

I thought I explained this earlier...
Bradford pear is grafted onto callery pear rootstock. When the rootstock sprouts, it bears fruits containing viable seeds that are spread by birds.
Callery pear is not native to North America. The stuff that you see "in the wild all over" has arisen thanks to its use as rootstock for ornamental varieties.

 

[Gunny]

Well I cannot find where the grafting is going on, I assume like a weeping cherry. I do agree they are Asian tree's and are invasive but I have seen that Bradfords are a type, not grafted, they are a cultivated variety of the Callery pear, grown for its ornamental value. If you can let me know where I can find it Brew, I'll look it up.

 

[Brewmonster]

I'm not sure what you want to look up, Gunny. The graft is near the base of the tree, pretty obvious on young ones. You often see sprouts of callery pear suckering out of the rootstock.
Weeping cherries are often grown with two grafts, rootstock grafted to a straight standard about five feet tall, and a weeping scion grafted to that.

 

[Gunny]

I wanted to look up the fact of a graft on the tree. Can't find that. I have seen the suckers you are talking about, a lot. I have a Bradford Pear growing in my yard I planted, about 18-20' right now. Just never heard/saw a graft on those tree's. My construction company, back in the states, installs many Bradford's. Have to talk to the grower when I return. They have a tree farm in Marine City, MI I get all of my plant material from. Something to look at.

 

[Wooddust]

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/callery-pear-bradford-pear

Added info here. Lots of sources discuss Calley Pear. There is a good bit of ongoing research on how to control this plant.