Bradford pear trees are stinking up SC again and the state wants them gone. Here’s how you can help

This is the year the nuisance tree Bradford pear gets the boot from South Carolina.

In October, the 2021 law banning the sale of Bradford Pears went into effect.

Clemson University and the state Forestry Commission have been working together to rid the state of the tree brought to South Carolina from Vietnam and China and planted by landscapers with abandon since the 1950s.

It was thought to be perfect for lawns and along urban roadways. They produced beautiful blooms in the spring and deep red leaves in the fall. They were disease resistant and didn’t spread. Or so experts thought. Then they did and in the decades since have choked out native species. And the blooms stink like rotten fish.

Clemson and the Forestry Commission created the Bradford Bounty Program in which homeowners can get up to five free native trees in exchange for cutting down an equal number of Bradford pears.

The remaining sites this year to get native trees are:

Marion - Saturday, March 16, 2024 at Amazing Grace Park, 307 W. Dozier St., MarionRegister

Van Wyck - Saturday, March 23, 2024 at The Ivy Place Berry Farm, 8525 Van Wyck Road, LancasterRegister

Clinton - Saturday, March 30, 2024 Vance Park, 211 N. Broad Street, ClintonRegister

Hours for each site are 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The rules are pre-register. Must be the property owner. Cut down the tree. Take a selfie with your cut tree. Pick up your new native tree.

Clemson has a list of 23 types of trees the state is giving out, including swamp oak, American snowbell, Carolina cherry laurel, and pawpaw. Not all trees on the list are available at each site.

This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 6:00 AM.