Grapevine removal

[Southtowns27]

Maybe someone has dealt with this before. Our woods had pretty much zero maintenance for 40+ years before we obtained it. There are lots of naturally occurring grape vines growing up into the trees. I've since cut them off at the ground. Most times they die, but some grow back with 4 or 5 new shoots out of the existing vine below the cut. Also, there is a large section in the woods (several hundred feet square) where there are no more trees anymore, just a huge ball of vines. I tried to cut as many as I could, but it's nearly impossible to get into the mess to cut them all. So, does anybody have a good solution to these things?

[davey]

fence it in and get a herd of goats

[TF Maple]

Maybe you should be making wine instead of syrup?:)

[jason grossman]

i have killed hundreds of acres of grapevines in my time. commercially and on my own farm. there are several ways to deal with them. the first i won't get into because it involves a chemical applicators license. the best way is to just cut them at the ground (also any hoopes or runners) and cut them about head high. this removes the structure that they need to grow up on. they will always resprout unless you use chemicals, which i do not suggest if you are tapping in the same woods. if they do sprout just go around when the sprouts are young and green and pull them off by hand. as for the holes you just have to cut the vines out of the edge trees and let the hole go for wild life or get in there with a dozer or tractor with a brushog and go to town. i had a lot of vines in my woods and now five years later the have almost all died out. you just have to be more persitant than they are. as long as your canopy is good it will shade out the sprouts faster than the will grow. a grape seed sprout up to 15 years after it has fallen!