# How to get rid of volunteer popple?



## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

We are working on returning an 80 acre parcel to a native prairie. The ground used to be farm land but hasn't been tilled in nearly a decade. Reforestation has taken over on one corner (about 5 acres) and we have rather dense popples, about an inch in diameter and 5-10 ft tall.

Short of pulling them out one-by-one with the tractor, is there a good way to rid ourselves of these? I'm afraid cutting them off at ground level with something like a tree sheer would leave us with too much of a root system to get a plow or disc through. 

Thoughts?


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## Radar420 (Oct 7, 2004)

RecurveRx said:


> Short of pulling them out one-by-one with the tractor, is there a good way to rid ourselves of these? I'm afraid cutting them off at ground level with something like a tree sheer would leave us with too much of a root system to get a plow or disc through.
> 
> Thoughts?


While aspen do reproduce through seed most aspen stands are formed through root sprouting from a parent tree. Based on the number of stems and the density of the stand, I'm going to assume your stand was formed through root sprouting. If that's the case, it will be impossible to pull the trees out one at a time because all their roots are interconnected.

I would think that you would have to cut/girdle the trees and then apply a herbicide to the stump to kill the roots. Or cut them down and continue to to do that for several months/years until carbohydrate stocks in the roots are depleted and there is no more re-sprouting. If you just cut the trees and then disturb the soil/roots with a plow or disc you will probably get a lot of aspen regrowth.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

If you are willing to wait two or three years before dropping the plow your challenge is easily overcome. I conquered the same issue with some food plots by zapping the aspen with roundup. I had to use a mist blower to reach the crowns because of their height but one application killed everything. Aspen decay rapidly when dead so in a couple years those small trees should start falling over and the roots will be starting to rot. If the trees are still standing and you cannot wait longer use a brush hog.

My experience with aspen is that the best time to insure complete mortality is to spray very late in the summer, before the leaves begin to turn and before the first frost. The last week of August or first week of September is about right in my nic'-of-the-woods. FM


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

Forest Meister said:


> If you are willing to wait two or three years before dropping the plow your challenge is easily overcome. I conquered the same issue with some food plots by zapping the aspen with roundup. I had to use a mist blower to reach the crowns because of their height but one application killed everything. Aspen decay rapidly when dead so in a couple years those small trees should start falling over and the roots will be starting to rot. If the trees are still standing and you cannot wait longer use a brush hog.
> 
> My experience with aspen is that the best time to insure complete mortality is to spray very late in the summer, before the leaves begin to turn and before the first frost. The last week of August or first week of September is about right in my nic'-of-the-woods. FM


 
Great advice. Thank you!


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Here is a picture of a food plot that I established by just mowing down the popple with my brush hog. The trees that were over 2" in diameter I pushed over and ripped out with my box blade. I did drag the box blade hooks threw the soil to rip out some root before I plowed the whole fields. I planted it the year after I tore it up so I could hit it with round up to kill the seed bank and anything that wanted to grow up.
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/31784/ppuser/5737

The popple around the edges will keep sending out roots for as long as they live. I just brush hog them every year to control their invasion.


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

Thanks. Great pic.

The root structure was such that you could get a plow through it after just mowing them down and knocking the big ones over?


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

I used a 14" 2 bottom to till the plot in the picture along with a bunch of other plots or similar size. Every now and then I would have to get off the tractor to get rid of root build up.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

theres a good resource for this information with the dnr stewardship program. contact them and they may be able to give you a game plan...after all they do this stuff all the time.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

Man, and to think I've been waiting almost 10 years for volunteer popple to show up. 


Posted from my iPhone.


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

Update. 

But first, as a grouse and woodcock hunter, let me say that I understand the value of aspen and love the stuff dearly. That said, this particular Area is part of a project in which we're restoring a fallow field to a native prairie, primarily for pheasant habitat. 

After 2 and a half days with a skid steer, a loader tractor and 4 guys, we're nearly finished. The skid steer worked to pop out the smaller ones, but we found the loader tractor to be the most effective, especially with large trees. Put a chain around the base and pull it out, roots and all. It takes longer than the skid steer, but it gets everything. 

The area was sprayed yesterday. We should start tilling it the first of the week. 


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Make sure that you include AMS when you spray again. It helps with the decomposition of organic matter in the soil. Clearing brush is hard work.


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