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Field Guide

All About Bradford Pears

By Keith BrownPublished Updated

Bradford pear trees have become a popular addition to the urban landscape. Although the Bradford pear is a hardy tree consistently producing showy flowers in the spring and some fall color, the tree is not without its fair share of problems. The trees have a relatively short life span due to structural integrity issues, they are susceptible to a few disease issues and they can be overbearing on landscapes with limited space.

The average life expectancy of a Bradford pear is about 15 years. While the tree is capable of producing viable foliage for more than 15 years, this is typically how long the tree will last before it begins to fall apart. The numerous branches that originate at a central point cause structural defects that lead to the splitting apart of the tree (see pic). Pruning the tree to promote more upright growth and installing cables and braces to support weak joints can add to the life of the tree. In some cases, with regular maintenance and inspections, a bradford pear may last 20 or even 25 years.

For the most part, Bradford pears are highly resistant to disease and insects. There aren’t any know major insect problems and only two disease that commonly get into Bradford pears: fire blight and bacterial leaf scorch. Both diseases are treatable. Fire blight needs to be caught early to prevent significant damage. In fire blight the disease starts at twig ends and progresses back toward the main stem. The dead foliage will be a very dark brown and remain attached to the tree. In bacterial leaf scorch the leaves will turn a light color brown and fall from the tree similarly to normal leaf drop.

Bradford pears can be a good landscape plant if you are looking for a temporary (short lived) tree and there is adequate room for growth (need minimum of 10-15’ in all directions). In small spaces the pear can be overbearing as they grow very quickly and block virtually all sun when full grown. They also produce large amounts of surface roots so they shouldn’t be planted where lawn/soil surface needs to be smooth such as high traffic areas or near concrete patios that may be broken by the tree roots.

When a Bradford pear needs to come out, tree removal covers taking the tree down and hauling away the debris. Stump removal is a separate step.

Common questions

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Should I cut down my Bradford pear tree?

If a section has already broken out and the way it looks now bothers you, yes. It won’t recover its form and it will keep falling apart. If you can live with how it looks, keeping it can be a reasonable choice, but that turns on what’s underneath rather than on the tree itself. If the next piece to come out lands in the grass and doesn’t hurt anybody, that’s your call. If it’s over a driveway, patio furniture or a playscape, it’s a different conversation: those are fixed, so if the limb hangs over them it gets hit more or less for certain, and they’re what invites people and children to be underneath. For an owner who really gets ahead of maintenance and makes a substantial effort, aggressive reduction pruning can postpone the next failure for a number of years. If it hasn’t failed yet, pruning to promote more upright growth can add to the life of the tree, and the window for that is the first fifteen years.

How long do Bradford pear trees live?

The useful number isn’t lifespan, it’s when they start coming apart: significant failures by fifteen years, twenty if you’re lucky. The tree can keep producing healthy foliage past that, which is exactly why owners get blindsided. With regular reduction pruning by an owner who stays ahead of it, you can push the falling-apart process out by several more years.

Do Bradford pear trees have deep roots?

No. They’re a heavy surface-rooting tree. That’s why they shouldn’t have been planted where the lawn or soil surface needs to stay smooth, like high-traffic areas, or next to a concrete patio that the roots can lift and break. It’s also worth knowing when you’re deciding what to plant back in the same spot.

Why do Bradford pear flowers smell bad?

The white spring flowers have a smell most people don’t care for. The usual explanation is that they’re pollinated by flies and small beetles rather than by bees, and the scent is what does that work. Either way it’s a bloom-season annoyance, and it has nothing to do with the decision on the rest of this page.

Can pruning save a Bradford pear that has already split?

It can postpone the next failure. It can’t restore the tree. For an owner who really stays ahead of it, aggressive reduction pruning is worth a number of years. What it won’t do is bring the form back, and you have to be willing to accept a tree that looks a little awkward in the meantime.