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.