New Jersey is banning more than two dozen invasive trees and plants, including the Bradford pear, which residents say emits a strange odor when it blooms every spring. The Invasive Species Management Act outlaws the sale and spread of 30 species, like the Bradford (or Callery) pear, Japanese barberry and running bamboo, throughout the Garden State. Homeowners won’t need to remove anything from their yards, however, since the law targets future sales only, not existing landscapes. The rules will phase in over the next few years after former Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law on his last day in office.
“A little bit like B.O.” The Bradford pear bursts into bloom each spring, and it stinks every time, residents say. “It’s like a little bit sweet, but also a little bit funky,” said Chris Calabrese, of Jersey City. “A little bit like fresh-cut grass, but also a little bit like B.O.” The smell isn’t the only issue with the Bradford pear. As an invasive tree, it also creates an ecological problem, spreading easily into the wild and pushing out native trees. “Our forests have taken a bit of a beating recently with pests and pathogens. And being outcompeted by invasive species just inflicts more harm to our forests,” said Dr. Nicole Davi, an environmental science professor at William Paterson University. William Paterson is using state grant money to plant 180 native trees on its campus in Wayne. “Natives bring in pollinators. Natives support bird life. Natives have evolved here. So it supports a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem,” Davi said.
List of banned species – Norway maple (Acer platanoides) – Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) – Mimosa or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) – Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) – Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata) – Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) – Japanese clematis (Clematis terniflora) – Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) – Weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) – Winged burning bush (Euonymus alatus) – English ivy (Hedera helix) – Japanese hop (Humulus japonicas) – Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneate) – European privet (Ligustrum vulgare) – Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) – Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) – Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) – Japanese crabapple (Malus toringo) – Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis) – Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) – Oriental photinia (Photinia villosa) – Running bamboo (Phyllostachys) – Callery or Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) – Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) – Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens) – Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) – European water chestnut (Trapa natans) – Siebold’s arrowwood (Viburnum sieboldii) – Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) – Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
Mark Prussin contributed to this report.
