Another mulberry question

Hi! I'm a fairly new gardener who is pretty lost and too busy---but
we bought a house in 2004 and I'm trying--the last few years I've noticed this tree growing up in our back yard (unfortunately on the fence line) that I wasn't sure if it was a weed or not (had these interesting shaped leaves...) so I let it go and now it is suddenly sprouting VERY VERY TALL in several sprouty trunks and actually looks beautiful ---and from some web searching and reading I now think it is some type of mulberry---it is now (in MA) bearing TONS of berries they are dark AND white. so I'm not sure which type of mulberry this is? the rubra pictures I see are all round or weepy looking trees though and mine is TALL and sprouty looking so I"m thinking white. plus it just appeared which fits the story of a white one.
it seems the white one is an invasive species? but I so wanted a berry tree to attract birds, and now it seems I have one. it can feed the skunks too!
unfortunately it is growing right over a weeping japanese cherry I planted 2 years ago too. so maybe I should move the (now) smaller cherry to a better location? the cherry is ornamental and is not making any fruit that I have seen yet.
any suggestions, I will really appreciate! thanks----

There are many species that are "bird friendly". Unfortunately if you have the White Mulberry (Morus alba), you've got a plant that you might not want. I'd get a positive ID on the plant that is crowding out your Weeping Japanese Cherry before you move it. Quick question. Are the undersides of the leaves on your Mulberry smooth or hairy?

Say, big warm welcome to DG! So glad to see you jumping right in and posting.

hi---thanks for the answer and the welcome!
I looked at the undersides today and they seem to be smooth. stared and stared and did not see any hairs unless they are tiny teeny. what does this mean? Thanks again ----

Sorry, it means it's a White Mulberry (Morus alba). Hairy would have meant Red Mulberry (M. rubra) or Black Mulberry (M. nigra).

Resin

thanks so much everyone----Think I'm going to call an arborist to look at all of these trees and remove them if necessary before they get any bigger---and help me to decide whether to keep them or not---I appreciate the input! thanks again theresa

An arborist will generally address different concerns than that which you expressed above. Arborists manage and maintain trees and good arborists are expensive. The White Mulberry is invasive. You evidently have Morus alba based on the undersides of the leaves. I'm sure a competent arborist will be able to identify your tree for what it is but what do you expect for him/her to tell you from there? You might want to consider researching Morus alba a little bit more. Best to familiarize yourself with the issues and then do what you are comfortable doing with the tree. It's your tree and if you want to keep it... do so. If you want to forgo re-transplanting the Weeeping Japanese Cherry (which could conceivably cost you that tree) by removing the Invasive tree, there's a great substitute for that White Mulberry sitting out there for your birds... the Red Mulberry (Morus rubra). Best wishes to you.

thanks--that's a good idea remove the alba and put a rubra in a better spot and leave the cherry alone.
any suggestions on good places to research? good plant books, magazines, websites? everwhere I look it says it's an invader but I think I need to comprehend what is bad about it---it doesnt fit with the local plants and animals? it is harming them in some way I presume-----well I 'll keep working on this THANKS
what is it about rubras and "cross pollination" that is not good? this is sure confusing.......but I'll work it out with all of this list to read! thanks again

I removed all of mine a few years ago, sort of glad you decided to do that too. Just this year I finally had time to replace them. I added three Morus rubra. Let me go find a few links for you on White Mulberry.

thanks----did some web searching and it says the white knocks out the red and the white carries a fungus that kills the red. funnily enough, the japanese cherry and a lot of nice fruit trees (pear) are also listed as invasive. thanks if you find more info-----

Yes, the White is a host to a fungal pathogen that is cause for concern. The pathogen is Ciboria carunculoides. There's another one out there too, Phymatotrichum omnivorum.

http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2001/invasive_exhotics.htm
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/map/moal1.htm
http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=6050

If you are interested, you might find this book interesting-
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/press/a-b/BioControl.html

The fruiting pears that are a cause of concern are Calleryana Pears. The most popular is the Bradford but there are quite a few other Callery cultivars.