How much of it can you clear mechanically with a slingblade or a
brush
hawg or a straight-shaft string cutter with a metal blade attachment?


I tried replacing the string head on my weed whacker with a blade
assembly, but it was like a toy against the large brush in the woods.

The most effective tool I have found is a simple grass whip, with
serrated blade. It's easy to sharpen using the edge of my bench
grinder wheel. One good golf swing takes down 3/4" diameter woody
brush.

I have a 30" walk-behind self-propelled brush mower with a 17HP Kaw
engine, but I won't be using that "blind" in the woods. I don't want
to damage it by hitting stones and stumps and roots and logs.

The problem with mechanical removal is that it doesn't kill the roots.
And I don't want to be whacking poison ivy.

Thanks for the chemical suggestions. I use 2,4D in a hand-help pump
sprayer to spot treat dandelions in my lawn (approx 2 acres)*, but I
never realized it would be better than Round-Up on poison ivy and other
undergrowth in the woods. I will give it a try.

I'll also try the triclopyr. Maybe do 2 test patches, one with 2,4D
and one with triclopyr to see which works best.


* I used to carpet-bomb my whole lawn with 2,4D, but I never was
comfortable doing that, especially with all the irreplaceable mature
trees. Besides, there's something very satisfying about meandering
around the lawn spot-zapping the dandelions with the handheld sprayer.
And it seems to keep them from taking over the whole lawn.