Spring Meeting: All About Callery Pear

Callery pear is one of the most rapidly spreading invasive plants in the eastern United States and often stems from cultivars of ornamental pears (most commonly the Bradford pear). Doug Tallamy calls the Callery pear one of the worst threats to our forests.

Dr. David Coyle will take us through the history of Callery pear, how and why it got to the United States, and its current infestation status. He will talk about the applied research he’s done to demonstrate ecological impacts as well as discuss some management strategies that do (and do not) work to mitigate and manage its spread.

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Dr. David Coyle teaches about forest health and invasive species in the Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department at Clemson University. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters and the Entomological Society of America, serves on the Board of Directors for the North American Invasive Species Management Association, and is Co-Director of ProForest (an organization working to promote proactive forest pest management). Dr. Coyle has been instrumental in the success of South Carolina's Bradford Pear Bounty program.