controlling bitternut hickory and box elder

[postville]

Hi all, I am doing a release cutting for a timber stand improvement. Species to be removed- ironwood, box elder, elm and bitternut hickory. I have been cutting the stumps as low as possible. What I am seeing is coppice growth from the stumps. If I leave the stumps 2 feet high will this help get rid of these?
I know I can paint the stumps with herbicide but this is hard to do when working alone. I would have to come back in with the chemicals.
Thanks, Bob

[Phorester]

A couple of thoughts;  One, how about herbiciding them instead of cutting?  As you're seeing, cutting by itself doesn't get rid of the entire tree - just the big portion above the ground  ;D Leaving high stumps will not minimize re-sprouting.

If the trees are under 4" dbh,  do a basal spraying, where the bottom 18 inches are sprayed with herbicide.  If larger than this, "hack" with a hatchet and squirt herbicide into the hatchet cuts.  Called "hack and squirt". Directions for these applications will be on the herbicide labels.

Second, sprouts from the stumps as you are now cutting will never be able to compete with the residual trees, so any re-sprouting will not affect the health of the residual stand, and will also provide browse for deer.  Of course, leaving them might not be pleasing to the eye.

TSI is about impossible to be done effectively without using herbicides.

[woodtroll]

I would keep a squirt bottle on me. Cut a hand full of trees, pause and spray.
The chemical only needed to be on the cambium and some bark.
Again read the label.
The idea of controlling the sapling size class is to limit competition to your desirable advanced regeneration. Then once it is established it not as big a deal.

Back to the point, try a small pump up spray bottle, 1.5 qt size or so. hook it on your saw chaps, cut spray and know you are knocking that iron wood back.

Coppiced stems can perform well, when cut close to the ground, and pruned to one stem. High stump coppiced trees are just messed up.