Pear Facts

The Pacific Northwest’s fresh pear production is the largest in the United States.
In the Pacific Northwest, pear production ranks number two (only behind apples).
Combined annual pear production for the Pacific Northwest averages more than 650,000 tons.
About a quarter of the overall pear crop goes to the canning industry.
Most processed pears are Red and Yellow Bartletts, with 67% of this variety used for the canning and processing industry.
Fresh pear varieties include Yellow Bartlett, Red Bartlett, Starkrimson, Green Anjou, Red Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Seckel and Forelle.
A pear tree takes 15 years to reach peak production.

The Pear Orchard

Trees need many hours at cool temperatures to produce fruit buds for the next season.
Pruning takes place while trees are resting, keeping them healthy and allowing sunlight to reach the leaves in spring.

Pears begin to blossom and bud in April.
A balance between hot days and cool nights during the growing season is critical.

A series of tests determine harvest maturity of the pears.
These tests examine the firmness of the flesh, the color and sugar content of the fruit.
A number of pests and disease threats are monitored and handled.

Pears are one of the few fruits that do not ripen successfully on the tree, so they are harvested when they are fully mature, but still “green” or unripe.
Harvest begins in August with Bartletts and continues through September and October with winter varieties.
Pears are picked by hand and placed into orchard bins specially designed to avoid bruising the fruit.
Pears are immediately placed into cold storage to slow the ripening process.