OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? LIKE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, BUDDY? MANY OF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM SPRING ALLERGIES RIGHT NOW, AND ONE OF THE MANY CULPRITS ARE BRADFORD PEAR TREES. ALTHOUGH THEY’RE PRETTY WHEN BLOOMING, THEY HAVE A STINKY ODOR AND THEY ARE AN INVASIVE SPECIES. METEOROLOGIST DYLAN HELLER HAS MORE ON THE STATEWIDE INITIATIVE TO REPLACE THOSE TROUBLESOME TREES. SPRINGTIME MEANS A FLOURISH OF COLOR IN THE TAR HEEL STATE AS TREES COME INTO BLOOM. BUT ONE IN PARTICULAR, THE BRADFORD PEAR TREE, IS AN UNWELCOME VISITOR TO THE AREA. THEY’RE NOT NATIVE TO THE UNITED STATES. THEY ORIGINATED FROM THE CALLERY PEAR TREES, WHICH CAME FROM CHINA IN THE EARLY 1900S. BECAUSE THEY PRODUCED LEAVES EARLIER THAN OTHER TREES, THEY CAN SHADE OUT NATIVE PLANTS, BRINGING BIG PROBLEMS FOR LOCAL FARMERS AND ANIMALS. THEY ARE VERY PRETTY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY’RE ALSO VERY WEAK TREES. SO A LOT OF TIMES WHEN THEY’RE STORMS, THOSE ARE THE TREES THAT ARE FIRST TO COME DOWN. AND THEY’RE ALSO VERY INVASIVE. SO THEY SPREAD REALLY WIDE AND FAR AND THEY AFFECT WILDLIFE. THEY POP UP IN PLACES AND THEY’RE STINKY. TO HELP ADDRESS THE HAZARDS OF THESE TREES, THE NC STATE EXTENSION HAS A FREE SERVICE CALLED THE BRADFORD PEAR BOUNTY PROGRAM. THE BOUNTY HOSTS EVENTS ACROSS THE STATE, ALLOWING YOU TO EXCHANGE UP TO FIVE BRADFORD PEARS FOR LOCAL TREES OF YOUR CHOICE. IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO REVAMP YOUR LANDSCAPING, TREES NATIVE TO NORTH CAROLINA, SIMILAR TO BRADFORD PEARS, INCLUDE THE FLOWERING DOGWOOD, BLACK CHERRY, RED MAPLE, RIVER BIRCH, AND SERVICEBERRY. FOR A FULL LIST AND TO SEE WHEN THE BOUNTY IS HOSTING AN EVENT IN A CITY NEAR YOU, LOOK FOR THIS STORY ON OUR WEBSITE. WXII 12.COM.