What's the best approach to removing willows?

[LouieJunior]

I'm wondering if anyone has a good solution to getting rid of willow trees. There are some low/wet areas that were not mowed recently and now I have some thick patches of 1-inch diameter willow trees. I am fearful they'll come back even thicker if I just cut them now with my bush hog. What device would be a useful tool in uprooting them?

 

[s219]

Get a "brush grubber" and yank them out of the ground.

 

[jpm1]

Not sure this will work for your willow problem. We at one time had a white birch problem, we were infested with them and they grew like weeds. An old timer my dad worked with told him to cut them starting the second week of September, he said any month with an "R" in it except the month of April. Well we chainsawed and bushhogged the months of September, October November and into early December if the weather permitted. We cleared about 33 acres that way with almost no grow back, the slash rotted quickly and the stumps from chainsaw cutting rotted quickly also.
There probably is no written way to prove this theory but it worked nicely for us. Mind you now that willow will grow from branches cut up in little pieces by a bush hog. May be your best bet is a chainsaw or a big set of lopping shears, pile the brush and burn it. This is what we did and it worked for us so, all i can say is good luck and let us know what happens. . .John

 

[spruce Deere]

A dozer with a brush blade/brush rake.

You would be amazed how quick and much a person can get done not having to worry about harpoon'n tires and other vital items.

If you got a box blade you could point the rippers to the back of the box and use it as a poor mans brush blade by backing over the infesting willows, leaning them over far enough to help the rippers catch and rip out the willow by the roots....

Brush grubber seems good for hurt'n ones self or tractor trying to pull something over on to yourself or tractor.....

 

[s219]

Brush grubber seems good for hurt'n ones self or tractor trying to pull something over on to yourself or tractor.....

That's not how they work -- they are used to pull out sapling and brush stumps. The only danger would be a chain snapping, so it should be lined up for proper safety (but traction is the normal limiter, not the chain). Generally you're pulling on the stump from about 1-2 feet above the root ball, so there is nothing to fall over onto a tractor.

Pulling down trees is something entirely different, and for that smart people use a long rope with a pulley block to change direction so the tractor is not in the line of felling.

 

[spruce Deere]

I was thinking more along the lines of not having to fell the willow patch to not create more clean up work for ones self. Not to mention the hassle of finding something big enough to tie a block too that will not pull out, slinging chain back and forth, all the off/on motions from tractor. I did not mean to insult the brush grubber..... just not use it at all.

My description of only good for pulling stuff over on ones self seem to some up the misery to use a brush grubber..... when there is other options.

BUT if one has the time, a chain saw, a heavy duty chain block, a good solid anchor for a block and 30 foot of chain there is no flies on that ointment nether

 

[s219]

I was using the brush grubber this afternoon to yank out some bushes in our front yard, where we are re-planting with other stuff. For that I used the grubber and short chain attached to the chain hook on my 3-pt hitch log skidder plate, and plucked the shrub roots out by lifting the 3-pt hitch. Worked great and was very quick.

I think the main benefit to using the brush grubber is that it lets you yank out trees and brush by the roots without disturbing the rest of the ground around them. If that's not a concern, there are definitely other faster ways to get it done.

By the way, I wasn't suggesting using a long rope and pulley block with the brush grubber -- that would be nuts. I was saying that in the context of pulling down bigger trees, where the brush grubber isn't used. I agree it's not smart to pull down trees directly where it could fall on the tractor or operator. In those cases, a logging rope and pully block (to the base of another tree, can be a small one) lets you locate the tractor and operator out of the danger zone.

 

[nwngunner]

I would look on craigs list to see if any one has a skid steer with a mulcher for rent. Wouldnt take long for a mulcher to clear the area you have.

 

[LouieJunior]

I just looked at the brush grubber. I would think it would work better pulling straight up with the front end loader -- rather than using the 3-point hitch. I notice there is the original Brush Grubber, Brush Grubber HD and the Brush Grubber Xtreme.

 

[IronHog]

I'm wondering if anyone has a good solution to getting rid of willow trees. There are some low/wet areas that were not mowed recently and now I have some thick patches of 1-inch diameter willow trees. I am fearful they'll come back even thicker if I just cut them now with my bush hog. What device would be a useful tool in uprooting them?

A spray rig first......then hog them.

 

[Alan L.]

I have about 10 willows, each with 10-12 trunks 12" or more in diameter. I'm pretty sure the brush hog won't handle those nor can I pull them up. An Oklahoma farmer told me to cut with a chain saw and then treat the stumps with some kind of herbicide - I forget which (not Roundup). Problem is they are mostly in the dam of my tank so I can't bulldoze them - can't get to them and if I did manage to pull them out they would leave a huge void in the dam.

The moral of this story is get rid of them before they grow up.

 

[Otto Syracuse]

I just looked at the brush grubber. I would think it would work better pulling straight up with the front end loader -- rather than using the 3-point hitch. I notice there is the original Brush Grubber, Brush Grubber HD and the Brush Grubber Xtreme.

I have the brush grubber x-treme and it works great. It is very heavy and has pulled out anything up to 4 inches diameter. I think it would work well for the willows even though it might take you a long time to hook it up to all of them. I wrapped a chain around the FEL and just drove backwards to pull them out. Keep the bucket low to the ground Its nice to have a helper.
I bought the brush grubber chain too and that is okay, but the x-treme is easier and doesn't slip off the brush.

 

[murphy1244]

I have about 10 willows, each with 10-12 trunks 12" or more in diameter. I'm pretty sure the brush hog won't handle those nor can I pull them up. An Oklahoma farmer told me to cut with a chain saw and then treat the stumps with some kind of herbicide - I forget which (not Roundup). Problem is they are mostly in the dam of my tank so I can't bulldoze them - can't get to them and if I did manage to pull them out they would leave a huge void in the dam.

The moral of this story is get rid of them before they grow up.

Use Pathfinder on a fresh cut.

 

[IronHog]

I have about 10 willows, each with 10-12 trunks 12" or more in diameter. I'm pretty sure the brush hog won't handle those nor can I pull them up. An Oklahoma farmer told me to cut with a chain saw and then treat the stumps with some kind of herbicide - I forget which (not Roundup). Problem is they are mostly in the dam of my tank so I can't bulldoze them - can't get to them and if I did manage to pull them out they would leave a huge void in the dam.

The moral of this story is get rid of them before they grow up.

Trees in a pond levee is a problem..... good news is most trees live a long time.


Leave those be.

 

[spruce Deere]

I have about 10 willows, each with 10-12 trunks 12" or more in diameter. I'm pretty sure the brush hog won't handle those nor can I pull them up. An Oklahoma farmer told me to cut with a chain saw and then treat the stumps with some kind of herbicide - I forget which (not Roundup). Problem is they are mostly in the dam of my tank so I can't bulldoze them - can't get to them and if I did manage to pull them out they would leave a huge void in the dam.

The moral of this story is get rid of them before they grow up.

Maybe just fell them, cut the stumps real low and then treat the stumps. Leave stumps there as to not compromise the dam.

Then plant grass. After grass gets established, spray with a broad leaf herbicide like curtail or something to keep the willows at bay and hog it on occation

 

[savageactor7]

A brush hog could easily handle 1" willow.

Around here we go out of our way to cut willow saplings They grow so fast and are not the kind of tree you want around.

I've also use a brush cutting blade on straight shafted weed whacker...it's more discriminating.

 

[slofr8]

I have acres and acres of land that is over grown with junk wood. I'm not even sure what it is but it likes wet-ish areas and grows fast. Mostly from 3" up to about 10". In between them is alders that you can't even walk through, I'm not even kidding.
I did about 1/2 an acre with a chain saw and then was years before I got the stumps up and the ground seeded. That was enough for me. Last year I put a 4' grapple on my 40 hp. tractor and it rocks. I'll angle the tines down about 6" to 8" in the ground and rake the alders and move them to a pile. Then I'll push the trees over, uprooting them. These go on the pile too. I'm careful to keep the dirty roots on the up wind side of the pile so they will burn better. The piles really add up fast. Yesterday morning I cleared about a 1/4 acre in 2 or 3 hours. No roots or stumps left. A little work with a box blade and disc and I'll be ready for seed. I think burning is gonna be the hardest part of the whole thing.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Dan.

 

[forester2]

Roundup will work on a fresh cut stump treatment mixxed 4:1 (41% glysophate)

 

[LouieJunior]

I ordered a brush grubber x-treme today. I'll report on how well it works. Looks like it might be useful, on occasion, even if it proves too slow tackling my willow problem. When I get tired of pulling them out, I'll spray 'em (plan B). Thanks all for your expertise!

 

[LouieJunior]

Report: The Brush Grubber arrived and works like a charm. I pulled out some fairly big size trees with it. The only shortcoming is this -- every tree requires I get off the tractor twice: once to attach the device to a tree after positioning the tractor, then again to remove the uprooted tree from the grubber. Be mindful that getting on or off the tractor, involves shifting into or out of neutral and engaging or releasing the park brake. Two people would have been four or five times more productive than I was today, working alone. Anybody wish to help next weekend?