Help with identification please

[woodlumn]

Good morning,

I've got tons of this type of tree growing on my property (virginia, foothills of the blue ridge mountains), and I haven't been able to ID it.

Mostly, they are saplings, but there are many that have grown to trunk diameters upwards of four inches. They seem to grow along with thorny briar. We also have a good amount of walnut, poplar, and sycamore. (Just trying to offer some clues!)

Here are some pics, my apologies that the last one (of the bark) is out of focus:

Thank you!

 

[Elmore]

Buckthorn

It looks like a Buckthorn. It could be the invasive European species or it may be the preferred native, Carolina false buckthorn.

 

[hermit63]

buckthorn

besides the berries and thorns any good ways to tell it apart from wild plum?
in a week or two it wil flower so ill be set strait then. but dont want to kill any now.

 

[Earthy]

Thought the second picture looked like privet.

 

[Bamfimous376]

im not sure i havent seen nything like that it looks like a variety of a black cherry tree just with out the lenticels on the bark, but im not sure:spam:

 

[ATS/TexasTree]

Looks like Japanese ligustrum - a disgusting weed.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

wow i cant find a privet/ligustrum like that. its incredibly sparse, but that could be due to grazing. but those rounded leaves are a new one to me.