Below is some correspondence about control of black locust.  I've removed references to the sender.  The discussion includes both organic and conventional strategies.  Maybe some readers have other strategies to suggest.  Note, this was specific to an urban setting, but the principles would apply to other areas with appropriate scaling after assessment of the situation.

 

[pictures of the species in question follow my response]

 

Original question:

Greetings, I am not sure if you are the one who can give advice or guidance, but I am a pastor of a local Church in BBBBBB, NY. We had some black locust trees cut down on our property and now we have a plague of black locust sprouts spreading all over our property way beyond the boundaries of the trees and ruining our entire landscape around the Church building. Can you guide me or advise me on a solution to our plague?

 

My response:

What you have observed with black locust is typical as per its known attributes.  When the main stem is disturbed, the roots will develop shoots and vegetatively reproduce the plant.  This is an effective strategy for the plant, but a challenge for those trying to manage the plant.  Here is a link to some information about the species, and some of the control strategies I’ll suggest below http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/black_locust.htm   If you wish to read more about the species, search for “black locust invasive.”  I’m working from the assumption that you have correctly identified the problem plant as black locust (double spines on twigs, non-odiferous crushed foliage).  There are some species that look similar (e.g., tree of heaven = no spines and strongly odiferous crushed foliage; sumac = no spines, not odiferous) that would have slightly different control strategies.  I’m also trying to offer strategies on a bit of a guess as to the nature of the sprouts, the landscape, and the extent of the problem.

 

There are a few considerations that will guide your selection of the “best” strategy.  The first is whether or not you and the congregation are willing to use an herbicide.  One herbicide (Round-up, active ingredient glyphosate) has a very long history and a high LD50 (meaning it has a very low acute toxicity).  Herbicides would likely be the most effective strategy to control the sprouts given my visualization of your description below of the situation, but see the “legal issues” paragraph below.  Mechanical non-chemical strategies work by repeated cutting (maybe many many times) of the stems until the starch reserves in the roots are depleted.  If the sprouts are part of the lawn, the easiest strategy is to just mow the lawn more frequently; or control the sprouts in the lawn by regular mowing and other sprouts using strategies describe here or elsewhere.  Another perhaps hair-brained mechanical strategy would be shade the root sprouts using suspended tarps.  Black locust is intolerant of the shade and some opaque tarps might do the job.  Or, a combination of treatments where you cut the stems once to ground level and then lay the tarps over the cut stubs.  The roots and stubs may sprout, but the sprouts will wither without sun and within several weeks (???) die.  Wait until the stems produce leaves in the spring and then fairly promptly cut them back.  The spring leaves will deplete some of the root energy reserves, but the cutting will preclude any significant photosynthesis.  The shade option is one based on the biology of the plant and not something I have ever known to be attempted.  Other plants around the cut stubs would also be affected by the tarps, and the extent of their response would depend on their intolerance to shade.  Please let me know if you try it and how it works; I don’t think there is any harm in this strategy, other than potentially to adjacent plants under the tarp.

 

Using any glyphosate-based herbicide, you have two options for application.  The link above suggests using a triclopyr-based herbicide, but that has less utility for numerous sprouts.  The goal is to allow the herbicide to enter the plant’s vascular system and move systemically throughout the root system to kill the sprouts.  One method of application is a foliar spray next July – September with caution to avoid overspray on nearby desired plants.  An application to foliage would likely use about a 2 to 3% active ingredient (check label for details).  A triclopyr herbicide would be my second choice for a foliar treatment.  The other option is to recut the surface of the original stump, if possible, and apply a more concentrated (20 to 25% active ingredient) solution to the freshly cut stump.  If the trees were cut in 2011, a resurfacing of the stumps might still be effective, but decreasing effectiveness if the trees were cut before 2011.  The herbicide container would have a label that specifies the active ingredient concentration.  The label would also have other very valuable information that warrants reading.  The potential risk with the cut-stump treatment is that a black locust on a neighbor’s property is connected via the roots and would also be killed.  Here is a link to a publication on forest herbicide treatments that would have some sections of potential interest for your situation.  http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/VegatationMgmt/PA%20herbi...

 

The “legal issues.”  Pesticides are regulated by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.  A person without pesticide certification can apply a pesticide (which includes herbicides) to their own residential property (more options if used in agriculture).  So, unless the property has a residence and the resident is willing to do the spraying, you will need to find someone who is a certified pesticide applicator.  This would include most commercial “lawn and garden” businesses or tree care business.  Perhaps someone in your congregation has a connection.  I can’t begin to guess what the cost would be, so you will want to shop comparatively for quality and price.  Depending on the attitudes of the neighbors, this could be a high-profile activity and you would want to make sure the applicator was fully legal.  I don’t know if there are any county or municipal ordinances that would apply to the use of a pesticide.  A final legal point is that the “label is the law” meaning that the specifications in the label attached to the container of pesticide are legally binding; if a resident of the building is making the application, they should read, understand, and follow the label.  So, although the pesticide may be most effective, it has a more extensive preparation.

 

I hope this helps.  I’ve tried to consider all possible scenarios, but feel free to email me with your intended plan (and hopefully some pictures) and I’ll see if there is something I missed.  Please let me know if you have any other questions or wish to discuss some aspect in greater detail.  Finally, I have shared my response to your question (after removing all personal and geographic references) on my forum at http://CornellForestConnect.ning.com so that others might see the response and potentially offer additional suggestions. 

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Picture 1.  Paired (double) spines on black locust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture 2.  Black locust flowers and foliage

 

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Pete,

  A backhoe could be used to remove the stump and larger roots. However if all roots are not removed you will still see root sprouts in lawns and in shrubs/hedges. I have a few that are growing up in lilacs. Now I have to do the herbicide treatment.

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