Brush killer very near trees

[JustaTreefarmer]

I planted thousands of small white and red oaks about 25 years ago. For the most part an abject failure but that aside, for the ones that made it they are probably 15 feet tall or more but bases generally under 6 inches. The problem is some persistent weed trees have grown up very near them. So close I really cannot mow with a bush hog that close to the tree without damage to the tree or my tires.
I have used a heavy lopper to cut the trees down but they always come back. I have heavy duty chemical brush killer. If I lop them off and paint the small stump (they are generally under 2 inches) even if that kills them, because they are so close to the oaks and perhaps the roots intertwined will that also harm the oaks? There may be 10 to 15 of these shoots around every oak plus rose vines etc.
I have a 4 foot DR Brush type mower also but it has twin lighter blades and is not up to the task of cutting the saplings especially when I have to cut 6 or 7 at a time. It just overwhelms it. So it has been a lopper or chainsaw. The chainsaw gets clogged by grass, vines etc. often. Ideas?

We planted 4k saplings back in 96. half Red Oak, half Black Walnut

Here's what I did after talking to a Nursery in Tn. way back then.
First I fertilized the sh_t out of the Oak saplings. 46% nitrogen....Urea. Enough that it burns the weeds/grass that attempted to grow around the tree.
applied it by hand. tiresome but did wonders. The Oak loved the nitrogen. Applied it once a month for 3 months starting in MAY. We live in Lower Michigan, GR-Lansing area.
Did that for 3-4 years. Somewhere around 1/8-1/4 cup each.

The other thing I did was roundup around the oak saplings. Hit them before bud out on the oaks and once later in the summer only during complete calm mornings.
If you keep it away from the green sapling bark and the leafs of the Oak you'll be fine.

I thinned out some 25-40+ ft. Walnut two years ago and just thinned out my Oak this winter some closer to 50ft.

 

[yanmars]

That is about the time I had my trees planted. Came from a nursery in MI, I think VanPines. 2500 each of white oak, red oak and walnut. 1000 white pines and 500 or so of a variety of trees. Plastic tubes that looked like upside down ice cream cones on 10 per cent of the trees. A guy planted them all with a dibble bar on 10x10 spacing as I was required to do. Saplings were 1 to 1.5 feet tall at the most.
Planted in an old overgrown apple orchard that was cleared and in a pasture field. Because of a dry year etc. I think maybe 500 trees at best survived and unfortunately the ones that did are all clumped together where they made it. They are now too close and then big gaps.
In areas that I did nothing wild volunteer walnuts have come up and done much better.
I wanted to plant bigger trees with wider spacings and a tree shelter on each. Would have been the same money and I think they would have done better but perhaps not. Few walnuts made it, maybe 15 pines and more white oaks than red survived. Not the best ground in the world.
Recently planted 4 American Chestnuts with a strain of Chinese in them. The soil is heavy clay and was told they will be doubtful to make it, they like more sandy soil. I have just a bit of that but not where I would like those trees. May just have to plant a few there to see.

 

[JustaTreefarmer]

No tubes with the saplings when planted, never used any. We used a V plow to make a furrow in the hay field then we spent 5 weeks on our hands and knees planting the the things.
The first week or two was okay. When the grass and sod started growing it was a bit much. That was on the Oaks. The other half of the field I disced down well and let the roots dry out.
It made planting the walnut go a lot faster.

 

[oldballs]

Almost 50 years ago, we planted a couple hundred seedlings in what I called my tree bed......
Eastern Red Cedar, Scotch Pine, White Pine and Austrian Pine. As they grew we (the six of us) transplanted them to our desired location and spacing....as windbreaks at the perimeter and some closer to the house.

Today all of the Scotch Pine have died, so to most of the Austrian Pine. and some of the White pine. The Russian Olive are all gone. but the Redbud never die....it seams. Keeping the Red Cedar alive with heavy Bagworm infestations is a part time job in the late spring. Out of twenty trees in our Orchard there remain only one Peach and one Pear and one Apple. The Osage Orange goes on forever along the back of the property. I used a hoe and later a Brush Cutter handle bar style to keep the weeds etc away.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[yanmars]

The volunteer trees seem to do better than the planted one. Never lost a tree that I planted at my home in town but no rabbits to nibble on them, I could water them on occasion and no competition with grass etc.
I just have to be satisfied with what I have. Should have had a tree spade and moved them apart when they were smaller I guess.

 

[Ford850]

I've had best luck cutting the nuisance trees leaving a one foot stump, then immediately painting the cut surface with brush killer following the brand's instructions. That way any that do survive and regrow are very easy to spot. It's also a much easier task than cutting closer to the ground and dulling chains. The process rarely allows for one to grow back, and I've never lost a "keeper" tree even within inches.