There are a lot of Cheery Trees in flower at the moment,
Would it be a good thing if something was to happen to them?
Or are they good for the birds or something?
Matt.
They are highly invasive, readily spread by birds eating the fruit. Also quite hard to control as they sprout from the stumps so really need drill and poison or cut and paste. Basal spray is also effective if you don’t mind standing dead trees for a while.
They’re a very good food source for bees and nectar-feeding birds. Our tree is a Tui and bellbird magnet when it’s in flower. It’s a non-fruiting, ornamental cherry tree, so it’s no risk to the nearby bush.
Are the trees you’re speaking about volunteers, or were they planted? You could always plant a few non-fruiting trees and kill the volunteers, if you’re worried about them spreading.
They are considered a weed now. They usually do have little cherries. Which the birds eat and poop in the bush, where they do grow. Probably not right in dark bush, but around the margins.
We only have 1 tree, and I’ve never found another plant in the bush or in the pine plantations in the area, but I’ll ask a neighbour of mine if he’s ever seen any - he goes hunting in large tracts in the area, so he’s far more likely to have spotted one than me. I’ll go and take a look to see if there are any fruit on it, but I’ve never seen one before, and I would have expected some seedlings to germinate under the tree, but I haven’t seen 1 in 16 years. If it does have seeds, the seeds have a very poor germination and/or survival rate.
Flowering cherries are preferable to most invasive species, providing nectar-feeding birds and bee species with a good food source, but I try and keep the bush on our place free from exotics. I already have wilding pines, Pampas, Old Man’s Beard, blackberries, Catoneasters, Tradescantia (Wandering Willy), etc. to tackle, so the last thing I need is damn another invasive.
I research every exotic species we plant to see what its potential is to spread, and will e-mail scientists if I’m not sure. If there’s an infertile variety, it’s the one going in the ground.
I hope you’re able to keep them under control.
I live in Titirangi and they’re everywhere around here. Mostly along the roadsides. They look really nice when they flower 
But they are spreading pretty rapidly. I imagine most people are unaware that they are a problem.
Yeah you don’t need another weed to take care of
Thanks, they hooked me up with some training and poison so I’m gonna take out the ones I can get to (that are not on peoples property).
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They are all over the hillside here in Lower Hutt. I poisoned one about 4 years ago and the seedlings were coming up around the base for years afterwards. Definitely very invasive - Steve