Driving down the road that hugs the bank of the Sacramento River down the Delta, you’ll pass a few pear orchards that have been torn out. Carcasses of trees are piled up like pyres in one; in another, they are laid flat like a mass grave. A sign on a telephone pole advertises orchard removal services.
Since the 19th century, the region south of Sacramento has been the preeminent pear producing region. Because of headwinds brought on by trade issues and declining demand, that’s changing.
“There were over 50,000 acres back in the ‘40s and ‘50s of pears in California. We’re down under 5,000 now,” said Doug Dickson of River-Pear Orchards in Walnut Grove…