Franklin Co. Bradford Pear Bounty Program Tree Exchange

Bradford pears (a cultivar of callery pear) are not native to Kentucky, but they have been widely planted. Unfortunately, not only are these trees a poor choice for landscapes, they are also bad for the environment. Here's why: Bradford pear were once popular because they are fast growing with pretty blooms. In reality, their blooms smell bad and the trees are prone to cracking and quickly become unsightly. Furthermore, invasive Bradford pears don’t stay put - their seeds spread into nearby areas and damage the productivity and integrity of farms, forests, and natural areas.

This program will give homeowners the chance to remove their Bradford pear trees and replace them with more attractive, long lasting, and valuable native trees.

Here's how it works:

• Register for this event now through Eventbrite (this page)
• Attend one of the in-person tree give aways in March (March 12 or 17)
• Property owners must cut down their Bradford pears and bring in a photo documenting the cut trees to receive an equal number of FREE, young native replacement trees. Showing a photo on your phone is fine.
• We will have a variety of small, mid-sized, and large native trees and will have tree experts on hand to help you decide which tree is the best for your situation.
• Most trees will be small, healthy, bare root trees. We will also have 50 larger container trees of several varieties that will be given out on a first come/first serve basis the day of the event for Franklin County residents.
• For instructions on how to cut and treat your Bradford pear so it doesn't resprout, please click on this video link:
• Prize tree offered for the largest Bradford pear cut! Inside Out Design is donating a 10-12 foot container tree to the winner of the biggest invasive pear cut. To be eligible you must pre-register and take a photo with a ruler across your cut tree's trunk.

If you need help identifying your trees or would like assistance in participating in the program, please contact Extension to get on our list and we will follow up with you: (502) 695-9035, https://franklin.ca.uky.edu/

Participation criteria:

• Pre-registration is required (see link).
• Only Kentucky property owners can register and get trees.
• Only Franklin County residents are eligible to receive the container grown trees.
• Property owners are responsible for cutting their Bradford pear trees and properly disposing of trees. In Frankfort, city and county solid waste will pick up tree debris if it is pulled to the curb. Cut in 4 foot lengths for city residents and 5 foot lengths for county residents.
• Take a photo of yourself with your cut Bradford pear tree and bring it to the Franklin County Extension Office to receive your "bounty" of free native trees.
• Replacement trees will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. Specific tree species cannot be reserved ahead of time. If your preferred replacement tree is not available at the time of distribution, you will be provided with an alternative.

Date:

You can choose which day to pick up trees:

• March 12, 9:30-noon (Saturday)
• March 17, 8-noon (Thursday)

Location:

• Franklin County Extension Office, back parking lot (look for signs the day-of)

Sponsored by Franklin Co Extension, UK Forest Health Extension, Franklin County Soil Conservation District, City of Frankfort Parks Department, Franklin Co Joint Task Force on Invasives, RIP, The Garden Club, Inside Out Design, Andrew Cammack

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