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| Our area's Bradford Pears were no match for Superstorm Sandy's epic snowfall. |
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| The Bradford in Bloom |
Most people will agree, the Bradford Pear tree is stunning in the spring. Filled with white blooms, the Bradford is one of the most beautiful and most heavily planted ornamental trees today. It's thick, dark green foliage and fast growth habit are also reasons for it's popularity. Hundreds of Bradford Pears have been planted in Garrett County over the past 30 years, and most were heavily damaged or completely destroyed as a result of the recent "Superstorm Sandy".
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| A Mangled Pear |
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| 1 of 50 spared major damage |
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| Garrett County Courthouse |
The heavy, wet snow that began falling on October 30th proved to be deadly for these ornamental beauties. The fact that most Pears still held their leaves was the biggest factor in the amount of damage that occurred. The wet snow stuck to the foliage like stucco, and the weight was too much for the branches to bear. What remained after the storm was a mangled, deformed mess. Even the rare few that were not destroyed sustained heavy damage. Most people in town have driven by the courthouse and can see first hand the amount of destruction. The only bright spot here is the opened up view of our county courthouse which was virtually hidden by the Pears prior to the storm.
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| The Harvey Tree |
The good news is, the trees that were damaged, even severly so, can be drastically trimmed and saved. The root systems on these trees are very strong and are capable of producing leaves again next spring. So go ahead and trim away. You may not like what you see when you are done, but after you tree flushes out with new growth in the spring, you will be amazed. When you drive down Broadford Road next summer, make sure you check out the Harvey tree. It looks a little like a Charlie Brown tree today, but it is already on it's way back.
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