I am asking you to present legislation for Tennessee to ban Bradford Pear trees from our state, as many other states have done. This is an invasive species from China which is rapidly taking over our state. It chokes out our native trees since the Bradford Pear grows much faster than the native trees. I have watched large areas, in only a few years, be dominated by hundreds of Bradford Pears. Efforts need to be made to eradicate the existing trees in order to preserve our state’s ecological health. We cannot ignore this invasive species much longer. Time is of the essence!