Callery Pear Buyback Event
The Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), in partnership with Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and the Missouri Department of Conservation, will host a Callery pear “buyback” program in locations around the state on April 23. On this date, citizens who complete event registration will receive a free native tree when they show a photo of a cut down Callery pear tree from their property.
The local event will be held at Audubon Trails Nature Center located at 550 Meriweather Ct in Rolla. Volunteers from the local Meramec Hills Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists, Ozark Rivers Audubon and the Paradoxa Chapter of the Missouri Native Plant Society will provide information and a seedling for up to 25 registered participants. Registration for the Callery Pear Buyback event is open from March 15 through April 15. On the registration form, participants will choose their event location, select a native tree, and upload a photo of the cut-down Callery pear tree. One free, non-invasive, native tree will be given to registered participants at the selected location on the day of the event, April 23, from 3:00 to 6:00pm.
Participants will receive potted native trees, donated by Forest ReLeaf and Forrest Keeling Nursery, in
3-gallon containers that stand between 2- and 4-feet tall. The trees are young and small to ensure the least amount of stress on the tree in the planting process, as well as easier transportation.
To register or for more information about this event, including a full list of native tree species offered and how to identify Callery pear trees, visit https://moinvasives.org/2024/01/12/callery-pear-buyback-2024/