The PA Department of Agriculture added Callery pear, or Pyrus calleryana, commonly called Bradford Pear to a list of noxious weeds - plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The popular, non-native, flowering fruit tree naturalizes, spreading from planted landscapes, crowding out other plants and disrupting native ecosystems. The ban on sale and cultivation will take effect Feb. 9, 2022 with enforcement phased in over two years.

"Callery pear is another non-native plant that was brought to this country for its beauty and rapid growth, without regard for its long-term p...