In 1772, Benjamin Franklin sent Chinese tallow seeds to Savannah, Georgia; the government planted more along the Gulf in 1900, and the tree now covers 185,000 hectares

A single shipment of seeds from 1772 helped start what federal researchers now say is the widespread non-native tree invasion in the forests of the southern United States, and it is still growing today. That year, Benjamin Franklin sent tallow tree seeds to Savannah, Georgia. According to a peer-reviewed US Forest Service research review, that shipment is the recorded introduction of the species to the country. The same review documents that the federal government planted more of the tree along the Gulf Coast around 1900, and that forest inventory records now put the tree's footprint at an estimated 185,000 hectares of southern forestland. That inventory-based figure, drawn from the same Forest Service review, shows why land managers from Texas to the Carolinas still spend time and money fighting a tree that was planted with good intentions almost two and a half centuries ago. The Chinese tallow tree keeps spreading.

How a single shipment became a two-wave invasion

Franklin's seeds did not move far on their own. The same research review notes that the Chinese tallow tree remained mostly in Georgia and South Carolina after the 1772 introduction. The big increase happened more than a hundred years later when the federal government planted Chinese tallow along the Gulf Coast around 1900. The USDA's plant guide describes the tree's seeds as a source of vegetable tallow, a drying oil, and protein-rich feed, qualities that made the species attractive for wider planting. People thought the seeds could be used to make soap and edible oil. Forest Service researchers note that this second group of plants came from a different population in China than the first group brought to Georgia. That genetic difference may have broadened the U.S. population's genetic diversity, a trait invasion biologists link to a plant's ability to establish and spread.

Why this particular tree is so hard to stop

Tallow's real strength isn't just one thing. Instead, Chinese tallow has different strengths that work together. Forest Service data show a young Chinese tallow tree can grow to three meters tall in just its first two years if the conditions are good. Chinese tallow can handle floods, salty soil, deep shade, and bright sun. Few native trees in the south can be as flexible as Chinese tallow. Birds also eat tallow seeds and spread them over long distances.

The Texas A&M Forest Service says that in East Texas, Chinese tallow abundance grew by 44% over ten years. Those figures, from the 2007–2017 survey period, show the number of forest plots with tallow went up by 38% over the same decade. Where the tree moves in, it can turn coastal grasslands into woods, a habitat shift that affects grassland birds. Studies also show that leaf litter from tallow makes it harder for native frogs to hatch their eggs.

How big the invasion has grown

Based on forest survey data, a Forest Service review shows that the total invaded area covers about 185,000 hectares of southern forest, most of it along the coastal prairie regions and the Mississippi River floodplain. In Louisiana, the tree became the most common species in the state. Historical survey data show the tree's population increased by 500% between 1991 and 2005; over that same 1991–2005 window, the tree's abundance in East Texas forestland grew by 174%. The tree spreads because it has traits that help it thrive in new environments; it does what many plants do when introduced somewhere new. Because Chinese tallow faces few natural enemies and can take advantage of open ground, it grows, reproduces, and spreads quickly.

What land managers are doing about it

Control efforts are continuing, with some methods showing results. Land managers rely on herbicide application, burning, and mechanical removal, and each can reduce tallow presence on its own, though none eliminates it completely. The Forest Service says combining herbicide application, burning, and mechanical removal gives much better results than using any one method alone. Some researchers are also looking at two biological control agents from China: a root-feeding flea beetle and a specialist moth. However, the United States has not yet approved the release of these biological control agents. The Forest Service review notes that no single method works in every situation. To find a lasting solution, land managers must focus on restoring plant competition while also maintaining active removal.

Why this history still matters

When Franklin sent his shipment in 1772 and the government planted around 1900, nobody could know how the species would behave over the next hundred years. The Chinese tallow story shows how introductions can reshape ecosystems over time. An introduction that seemed practical at the time can slowly change an ecosystem long after the people who planted the trees are gone. Current research is trying to figure out how far the Chinese tallow tree can go and whether anyone can actually control it. So, the next time you see a tree with heart-shaped leaves turning bright red and orange along the Gulf Coast in the fall, there is a real chance you are looking at a descendant of the seeds Benjamin Franklin sent to Savannah in 1772. You might be looking at one of the American South's best-documented invasive tree species.