I replanted my farm in long needles a couple of years ago. I did a prescribed burn several weeks ago. I have a fair amount of volunteer loblolly pines. This is my question. While it’s easy to walk through, I would like to hack and squirt, some loblollies and sweetgums. Is it too early to do? Am I wasting my time? What is y’all’s take?

Just take a machete and cut the pines off at the ground. The gums you can spray with roundup

The pines I’m looking to get rid of are 10-12 feet tall. We are past the machete stage. I’m hoping the fire actually took them out. I just don’t really want to wait until July to walk through a clearcut with every rattlesnake in Macon county and knee high in grass. Nor when it’s 98° outside. I could wait till next winter, but by then walking conditions would be pretty tough. Lots of saw briars and such. Or I would be open to other suggestions. The long needles are just coming out of the grass stage. Most are between 18 to 36 inches tall. I know right now is probably the best time for easy access to the majority of the property.

You’re not going to get the results you want unless you apply herbicide June-August on lobs. I certainly wouldn’t do it now.

Ticks and snakes it is!

That’s sort of what I was gathering, I just wanted to make sure. By then I will at least be able to see what the fire took out. I just really didn’t want to be stomping around out there in the heat. Oh well. I guess the next step is recommendations on snake boots. 😂😂😂

I'm betting you killed more of them than you think which will be good. Not sure the density or acreage you are talking, but a weedeater with a saw blade on it will knock stuff of that size out pretty easy and is a heck of alot easier on the back than a chainsaw.

What kind of weedeater with a saw blade are you using to take out a 12ft pine?

Any Stihl/Husky/Echo rated as a brushcutter. Get the blades that look like a skillsaw blade not the tri-arc

A good strong Stihl weedeater and this blade is hard to beat. You can make quick work cleaning up roads with it also.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/stihl-chisel-tooth-brush-cutter-blade-200mm-7-9in-dia-75254?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Lawn%20%2B%20Garden%20%3E%20String%20Trimmers%20%2B%20Brush%20Cutters%20%3E%20Trimmer%20Heads%20%2B%20Blades&utm_campaign=Stihl&utm_content=75254&ogmap=SHP%7CPLA%7CGOOG%7CSTND%7Cc%7CSITEWIDE%7COOT%7C%7Bcampaign_name%7D%7C%7Badgroup%7D%7C%7C20571584377%7C154088823056&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIguWK3pqRjAMV7zfUAR12xDkpEAQYBCABEgKN6vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

i have a old stihl commercial grade weedeater and several different blades. let er get to top rpm and for lack of other words , swing like hell from left to right ONLY. when it hits, it’ll pull away from you vs towards you if you go right to left. i have 2 that are forester brand (black and green) with chainsaw teeth on it that’s more of a “saw” vs the skill saw blades that u use to hopefully blow through in 1-2 hits. u can go quicker than u think.

This is the worst time of year for H&S. Summer into winter is better, fall is best. Glyphosate or gly/imazapyr will get the sweetgum. Get out the tick spray and snake boots.

I had the same issue on sites that I planted long leaf. Missed applying fire two years due to site & weather conditions. The loblolly jumped up to 10 - 12 feet and began over taking the long leaf trees. I had get a forestry crew with brush cutters to come in rid the sites of loblolly early summer 2024. Just did a low intensity burn three weeks ago to finish the job. Everything looks great. There is expense involved but It was able to get NRCS cost share money to offset some of the expense. This was in SE Alabama and I believe dollars/programs available vary by county.