Removing invasives/pulling up by roots

[Mad Professor]

I've got a ~ 15 acre woodlot I need to remove invasives from.

I have a grant from USDA that supports first mechanical removal via pulling up by roots and/or cutting, with two followups with herbicide. I have a whole year to complete the mechanical part I plan on doing the work myself. What I'm dealing with is: bittersweet, multiflora rose (not much), bayberry (fair amount but not thickets yet), honeysuckle, and buckthorn. The larger honeysuckle and buckthorn I'll use a chainsaw on paint stumps with hebicide, lopp off any bittersweet that has started to climb paint those too. I have a forest management plan in place and have studied these particular invasives.

What I'm wondering is what have people used on smaller stuff to pull these up by the roots? The bayberry , buckthorn and multiflora rose can't be done by hand due to the thorns. I have a 9N ford tractor I can use to pull with for stuff too large to be done manually. I also have logging chains.

One of the things I've seen is called the "brush grubber". A chain setup that can get wrapped around clumps of brush. For small stuff it looks like it would work by hand and avoid the thorns, bigger clumps I could use the tractor for pulling. Anyone used one of these?



I'm open to any other ideas? Have thought of using loops of cable too.

 

[lone wolf]

I've got a ~ 15 acre woodlot I need to remove invasives from.

I have a grant from USDA that supports first mechanical removal via pulling up by roots and/or cutting, with two followups with herbicide. I have a whole year to complete the mechanical part I plan on doing the work myself. What I'm dealing with is: bittersweet, multiflora rose (not much), bayberry (fair amount but not thickets yet), honeysuckle, and buckthorn. The larger honeysuckle and buckthorn I'll use a chainsaw on paint stumps with hebicide, lopp off any bittersweet that has started to climb paint those too. I have a forest management plan in place and have studied these particular invasives.

What I'm wondering is what have people used on smaller stuff to pull these up by the roots? The bayberry , buckthorn and multiflora rose can't be done by hand due to the thorns. I have a 9N ford tractor I can use to pull with for stuff too large to be done manually. I also have logging chains.

One of the things I've seen is called the "brush grubber". A chain setup that can get wrapped around clumps of brush. For small stuff it looks like it would work by hand and avoid the thorns, bigger clumps I could use the tractor for pulling. Anyone used one of these?

View attachment 939923View attachment 939924

I'm open to any other ideas? Have thought of using loops of cable too.

Stump grinder.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

For 15 acres I would just hire a skid loader with a mulching head, probably a 3-4 day job.

 

[Mad Professor]

One issue is I'm short on cash, but have a wealth of free time. The USDA $$$ won't come until job is finished. The 15 acres are not covered in invasives, just some larger patches starting to get a foothold.

Another is getting the roots out really cuts down on re-sprouts. Bittersweet the exception with tiny roots missed putting up sprouts, roundup takes care of those.

Part of the area is borderline swampy so not easy to use a skidsteer or stump grinder. Been so damm rainy this summer, I got my tractor stuck in an adjacent field I'd mowed for years without an issue....that's another story

I did a couple acres by hand a few years back. I pulled small stuff and/or used a large string trimmer on those, then hit the resprouts with roundup, chainsaw with an old chain on the bigger stuff. It's still pretty clean except small stuff from birds crapping out new seeds.

Damm bayberry thorns break off in your hands and are a ***** to pick out. I need to invest in some more good gloves too.

 

[ChuckMI]

Use a brushcutter (like this but put a blade on it) https://www.stihlusa.com/products/trimmers-and-brushcutters/professional-trimmers/fs240/ and paint the stumps with glyphosate as soon as you cut. You don't have to bend over as with a chainsaw and it is a lot faster than pulling. This is what the Nature Conservancy uses for removing buckthorn, honeysuckle, barberry. Do you have bayberry or barberry?

 

[AKoz]

I like the looks of the Shrub/Clump Grubber but I fear that barberry for example with just let it slide up and off.​

Here is an article from Farm Show magazine, for pulling saplings.
https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=25015I changed this a little and rather than hook the chain onto the pipe at the bottom, I run the chain back up inside the pipe and fasten it at the top of the pipe. It works better for smaller stuff and clumps. Even with that shrubs like barberry may still just shed its skin with the chain while the roots stay in the ground. I find the larger the clumps the easier to pull. I agree with you on pulling the roots rather than cutting off at the soil. With the roots pulled the soil is loosened enough that if anything sprouts in the spring its easy to pull by hand.

 

[Mad Professor]

Use a brushcutter (like this but put a blade on it) https://www.stihlusa.com/products/trimmers-and-brushcutters/professional-trimmers/fs240/ and paint the stumps with glyphosate as soon as you cut. You don't have to bend over as with a chainsaw and it is a lot faster than pulling. This is what the Nature Conservancy uses for removing buckthorn, honeysuckle, barberry. Do you have bayberry or barberry?

Some of the buckthorn are small ~4-5" dia trees, need the saw on those. I've made big piles of those I burn in winter

Barberry, my mistake in spelling.

From my management plan. May also use trichopyr as herbicide, works in spring.


Table 3 Invasive Species Present on Forested/Nearby Parcels

Common Name	Genus Species	Extent of Spread	Eradication Measures
Barberry	Berberis thunbergii	Found in both wooded areas and in fields.	Mechanical pulling of rooted plants, repeated mowing in fields, and spraying with glyphosphate of sprouts/cut stems.
Burning Bush	Euonymus alatus	Sparse, found mainly in wooded areas but spreading via avian seed depositions	Mechanical pulling of rooted plants and cutting of larger plants/trees followed by glyphosphate treatment of sprouts/cut stems.
Common Buckthorn	Rhamnus_ Cathartica	Problematic on field margins and some establishment’s within wooded areas. No extensive thickets.	Mowing with rotary cutter and cutting of larger plants/trees followed by glyphosphate treatment of sprouts/cut stems.
Garlic Mustard	Alliaria petiolata	Widespread in fields and adjacent wooded parcels	Mowing and pulling of 2 year old plants in spring before flowering/seeding. Eliminate seed source of biennial.
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica	Found in wooded areas and within uncut areas of fields. No thickets	Mowing in open areas and cutting larger shrubs on forested areas. Glyphosphate treatment to kill roots of sprouts/cut stems.
Mulitiflora Rose	Rosa multiflora	Sporadically distributed in fields and woodlands, with several expanding patches	Cutting/mowing followed by glyphoshate treatment, of sprouts/cut stems.
Oriental Bittersweet	Celastrus orbiculatus	Widespread in both fields and wooded areas. Several major thickets.	Mechanical pulling of rooted plants, mowing in open areas, and glyphosphate treatment of sprouts/cut vines and large patches.

 

[Mad Professor]

I like the looks of the Shrub/Clump Grubber but I fear that barberry for example with just let it slide up and off.​

Here is an article from Farm Show magazine, for pulling saplings.
https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=25015I changed this a little and rather than hook the chain onto the pipe at the bottom, I run the chain back up inside the pipe and fasten it at the top of the pipe. It works better for smaller stuff and clumps. Even with that shrubs like barberry may still just shed its skin with the chain while the roots stay in the ground. I find the larger the clumps the easier to pull. I agree with you on pulling the roots rather than cutting off at the soil. With the roots pulled the soil is loosened enough that if anything sprouts in the spring its easy to pull by hand.

I like that idea! I've plenty of chains and scrapyard pipes are cheap. I imagine you could vary chain and pipe sizes to work with what you are pulling.

I bookmarked your link, thanks!

 

[Kelly50]

I've got a ~ 15 acre woodlot I need to remove invasives from.

I have a grant from USDA that supports first mechanical removal via pulling up by roots and/or cutting, with two followups with herbicide. I have a whole year to complete the mechanical part I plan on doing the work myself. What I'm dealing with is: bittersweet, multiflora rose (not much), bayberry (fair amount but not thickets yet), honeysuckle, and buckthorn. The larger honeysuckle and buckthorn I'll use a chainsaw on paint stumps with hebicide, lopp off any bittersweet that has started to climb paint those too. I have a forest management plan in place and have studied these particular invasives.

What I'm wondering is what have people used on smaller stuff to pull these up by the roots? The bayberry , buckthorn and multiflora rose can't be done by hand due to the thorns. I have a 9N ford tractor I can use to pull with for stuff too large to be done manually. I also have logging chains.

One of the things I've seen is called the "brush grubber". A chain setup that can get wrapped around clumps of brush. For small stuff it looks like it would work by hand and avoid the thorns, bigger clumps I could use the tractor for pulling. Anyone used one of these?

View attachment 939923View attachment 939924

I'm open to any other ideas? Have thought of using loops of cable too.

Pullerbear made in Canada. Very well made. Several sizes available. Excellent tool for pulling trees that can minimize soil compaction.

 

[Mad Professor]

Pullerbear made in Canada. Very well made. Several sizes available. Excellent tool for pulling trees that can minimize soil compaction.

That looks like a great tool for small trees. Not sure how well it would work on clumps of stuff like barberry?

Would be a good compliment to the chain set setup I mentioned.

I may end up with both, but try the pipe setup Akoz mentioned above too. Maybe file some teeth into the end of the pipe

 

[ChuckMI]

You can easily cut 5" diameter trees with the FS240. Just cut all the way around and the blade will go all the way through. Triclopyr works as well or better than glyphosate. Cost and availability would help you make your decision. You need 10 years to eliminate garlic mustard. Probably not worth the trouble on 15 acres.

 

[Mad Professor]

You can easily cut 5" diameter trees with the FS240. Just cut all the way around and the blade will go all the way through. Triclopyr works as well or better than glyphosate. Cost and availability would help you make your decision. You need 10 years to eliminate garlic mustard. Probably not worth the trouble on 15 acres.

I have 2 older stihl trimmers w/bicycle handlebars. It's smaller than a 240, but I could get 1 runner out of them and put a saw blade on for dedicated small trees, bigger stuff I'd still be using a chainsaw. This would be a winter project. $$$ is not there for new stuff.

From what I've read on herbicides, glyphosate is best used in fall when plants are translocating material to the roots, where triclopyr works well in cut stump treatments when plants are actively growing, useful in spring/summer.

I've been battling the garlic mustard for a while. Mowing several times a year works well in open areas and wooded places pulling up the 2 year olds and/or cutting them to ground level. I know it takes years to exhaust the seeds, as they may sprout several years down the line and the work you've done goes for naught.

 

[ChuckMI]

You can also use cut and stump treat all winter.

 

[Woody912]

I've got a ~ 15 acre woodlot I need to remove invasives from.

I have a grant from USDA that supports first mechanical removal via pulling up by roots and/or cutting, with two followups with herbicide. I have a whole year to complete the mechanical part I plan on doing the work myself. What I'm dealing with is: bittersweet, multiflora rose (not much), bayberry (fair amount but not thickets yet), honeysuckle, and buckthorn. The larger honeysuckle and buckthorn I'll use a chainsaw on paint stumps with hebicide, lopp off any bittersweet that has started to climb paint those too. I have a forest management plan in place and have studied these particular invasives.

What I'm wondering is what have people used on smaller stuff to pull these up by the roots? The bayberry , buckthorn and multiflora rose can't be done by hand due to the thorns. I have a 9N ford tractor I can use to pull with for stuff too large to be done manually. I also have logging chains.

One of the things I've seen is called the "brush grubber". A chain setup that can get wrapped around clumps of brush. For small stuff it looks like it would work by hand and avoid the thorns, bigger clumps I could use the tractor for pulling. Anyone used one of these?

View attachment 939923View attachment 939924

I'm open to any other ideas? Have thought of using loops of cable too.

I like to spray with Crossroad in the summer to kill the entire plant then chainsaw and burn in the winter. Never ending prociess

 

[ATH]

I'm not a fan of pulling because you are going to cause a lot of unnecessary soil disturbance by uprooting things. I prefer cut and treat the stumps. But, get a real brush cutter...not a big weed whacker. If Stihl, FS460 or FS560 ... or Husqvarna 555FX.

You'll want the harness if you are using it for more than 15 minutes. You'll also want the harness if you catch something with the tip of the blade and it quickly pulls the head a little on you.

Stump spray with Garlon 3A or RoundUp Custom (if there are wetland areas....you said lots of standing water).

Does your plan/EQIP contract allow for foliar spray only? We prefer this on smaller bushes as it is tough to treat stumps smaller than 1" in diameter. In fact, that is on the schedule for tomorrow for an invasive species contract we have. We did some cutting earlier in the summer. We'll spray the small stuff tomorrow then be back in the next few month and a half to cut the rest and treat stumps of the bigger stuff that remains.

 

[PASS_AUF]

@ATH Is on the money! Buy a clearing saw not a 240, look on CL of Facebook market place they come up used.

I’m in a similar boat to the OP with my 40 acres. 10 or so are old pasture, the rest are woodlands that have been hammered by oak wilt and eaten alive by buckthorn. I’ve got 4 clearing saws and lots of time on my hands but proceeding all of the cut material was a huge problem. I bought a track loader and mulch head this year, WAY faster.

I’ve used the brush chain linked above. It does work to a point, machine weight is a factor to what it’ll pull. A friends dad was killed trying to pull a stump with a chain, so I’m not a fan of the practice.

I would be using Garlon over RU if you’re far enough away from water as it is much more effective on woody brush species. When mixed as a basal bark treatment it can be applied year round and to uncut invasives which offers a head start in the spring.

 

[capetrees]

Mow mow mow.

Converted an open field overrun with honeysuckle, wild roses, bittersweet, poison ivy, all about 10' tall. Mowed a couple time with a Bobcat brush mower and after that a ride on mower. 4 years later the field is grass that gets cut as lawn every two weeks. We even found a few older fruit trees that the owner didn't kmow existed.

 

[ChuckMI]

I don't think he is trying to create a giant lawn. He is removing invasives from a natural area to allow the natives to thrive and increase wildflowers and wildlife.

 

[ATH]

@ATH ....
I would be using Garlon over RU if you’re far enough away from water as it is much more effective on woody brush species. When mixed as a basal bark treatment it can be applied year round and to uncut invasives which offers a head start in the spring.

We use:

Garlon 4 mixed with oil carrier for basal bark spray.

Garlon 3 is a little cheaper for cut stumps. Also Garlon 3 can be used in wetland areas.

Sometimes use RoundUp for cut stumps. It is cheaper than Garlon 3. I think it is as effective in late summer/ fall, but Garlon is better in the winter.

 

[Mad Professor]

Mow mow mow.

Converted an open field overrun with honeysuckle, wild roses, bittersweet, poison ivy, all about 10' tall. Mowed a couple time with a Bobcat brush mower and after that a ride on mower. 4 years later the field is grass that gets cut as lawn every two weeks. We even found a few older fruit trees that the owner didn't kmow existed.

@capetrees , I've mowed all the fields with a 5' rotary cutter on a farm tractor for ~ last 35 years. I try to at least twice a year, but leave some until August for medow bird habitat (turkeys/other birds nest there). I just cut/mowed everything near the orchards and gardens again, as we have a big vole problem last two years (I'm ~150 miles inland of You), I lost some apples and blueberries to girdling. The yotes fox and bobcats will all be well fed this fall/winter.

My question concerned the woodlot. If I can get the tractor at any of that, it gets mowed too.

I get PI almost just by looking at it. If I see any I don't wait, the sprayer comes out.