MoIP Callery Pear “BuyBack” Program Expanded to 17 Cities in 2025
Looking for a creative way to call attention to the threat that non-native, invasive Callery pear trees pose to Missouri, in 2019 the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP) launched the state’s—and perhaps the nation’s—first Callery Pear “BuyBack” program. This special event invited Missourians to cut down one or more Callery pear trees on their own property, submit a photo of their cut-down tree, and receive a free native tree to plant. Since that time, MoIP has annually grown the program, continually expanding the number of cities hosting a BuyBack event.
On April 22, 2025, in partnership with Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), MoIP organized Callery (Bradford) pear “buyback” events in 17 locations around the state. As participants picked up their free native tree, they also received information about the problem with invasive species, the benefits of native trees, and the importance of properly planting and caring for their new tree. An “I removed my invasive Callery pear and planted a native tree instead” yard sign to let the participants’ neighbors know the importance of their landscaping change was offered to any participant who wanted one. A 2024 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation provided financial support for MoIP’s 2025 Callery Pear Buyback program.
The program, which began in Columbia and St. Louis, has expanded through the years to also include Cape Girardeau, Doniphan, Hannibal, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kirksville, Lebanon, Moberly, Park Hills, Rolla, Sikeston, Springfield, St. Joseph, Warrensburg, and West Plains. Collectively, these locations had a total of 800 native trees to give to registrants, with any leftover trees going straight into the ground at parks, schools, and other local places where the public and native species that depend on native trees can benefit from their presence for many decades to come. The impact of this program has led to other cities around the country seeking advice from MoIP on how to start their own Callery Pear BuyBack events.
MoIP is grateful to the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Missouri Community Forestry Council for their financial support of the 2025 Callery Pear Buyback Program, as well as to Forrest Keeling Nursery and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri for tree donations. Financial and administrative support also comes from the Missouri Prairie Foundation and Missouri Department of Conservation.
