Ideas for managing Red Osier Dogwood in pastures

[Anthony]

Our farm has a great deal of what I’ve identified as Red Osier Dogwood, both in field and laneway edges and also in the majority of a 10 acre hayfield. Most of the hayfield had not been cut for hay over the last 20-30 years, only brushogged every four or so years to keep it from returning to forest. The field was mowed, round baled, and taken away 2 years ago and last year we had it mowed and square baled and have been feeding it as hay (with a lot ending up as bedding). I have two separate questions:

– How to manage (eradicate) it along the field edges and in clumps in the fields. I thought of chainsawing it close to the ground, but this seems like a rough job. Are there any hand tools, perhaps similar to a scythe, that could be used?

-Managing it over large areas, as in the hayfield. We’re planning on grazing some of this, we did last year in October after cutting hay in early August, though the horses and cows aren’t appreciative of being jabbed in the face while grazing. I’m hoping to fix a McCormick Deering # 9 this summer and thought it might be able to cut through the little trees/bushes?

Here is a picture from wikipedia, ours is similar but the leaves are much thinner (they don’t look as healthy) and they aren’t bushy, rather there are many individual, thinner (maybe 1/8″ max) stems coming out of the ground next to each other, easily cut with pruners: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Cornus_sericea_fall.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cornus_sericea_winter.jpg

Wikipedia Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Osier_Dogwood
Other website: http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/cornusser.html

I’ll try to get an actual picture too soon, especially of the hayfield.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I just clipped a bunch of little saplings like that from my pasture with my scythe, it was a little rough on the grass blade so I stuck an old junker from an american scythe on it and whacked away. worked well for the small stuff.

jared

[Pete]

Goats will look after that stuff.

[Andy Carson]

@Anthony 33969 wrote:

Are there any hand tools, perhaps similar to a scythe, that could be used?

I love my slingblade (also known as a bank blade, kaiser blade, etc).
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=1768

I have used this to clear all sorts of saplings, brush, grass, and weeds. If you are cutting lots of grass, there are more efficient tools. Swinging this tool for a while is fun, but it saps your energy, as it really packs a wallop. It cuts brush/saplings up to maybe 2 inches with ease. On the bigger end of that range, you will want to use an angled cut rather than trying to cut straight accross. I’ve even taken down a 4 inch tree, although on the bigger ones you have to swing more than once from opposite sides to take them down. That said, if you’ve got alot of stuff that is 2.5 inches or bigger, I would recommend a different tool. In my hands, this tool really shines in clearing out areas with thick mixed vegetation, where grass, brush and small trees all together. Perfect for field edges. It’s also perfect for if you feel like you have extra energy or had a bad day. Hang it by the door and scare the neighbors! 🙂

[Vicki]

Anthony, red osier and gray dogwood are the “default setting” on my farm. Anywhere not mowed for a year will sprout right up with it. Your soil must be moist, but rich.

My Dexter cattle enjoy browsing on the tender twigs and swinging their heads in it.

When the stems get over 2″ or so we take a chainsaw to the clumps. I like them in smaller shrub form, but after a few years they get to be tall leggy masses that slump over and are impossible to get through. We had old hayfield that was covered with it. We brush hogged, then pasturing it has stopped its recurrence. Often those pastures will get mowed once a year. Just keep haying or grazing the fields and that’s all it should need to keep it down. Your thin stems are simply sprouts from the old roots.

For keeping lane or field edges clear, you have to mow once a year.

[Anonymous]

Good advice countrymouse, I pulled the old bill hook off the wall after I saw your post, sharpened it, put on a new handle and then cleared some serious brush…. Much better than a machete for multifloral rose….

jared

[Author]

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