Small pines are easily removed in the first two years of growth.
Pine trees provide shelter and food for a great number of birds and small animals. For humans, they provide a windbreak to prevent drifting snow, a source of refreshing greenery in deep winter, firewood, and and a marvelous, bracing scent. If you've ever walked through a pine grove in spring after a day's rain, you know the beauty of pine trees. Unfortunately, too many little seedlings can grow into small trees that overcrowd and compete with other plants and shrubs for nutrients. It's easy to thin small pines from your grove if you catch them early enough.
Instructions
1. Small pine trees are easy to remove.
Pull small pine trees by hand in their first two years of growth. Grasp the trunk at the ground level and pull up slowly. Spade the ground around the tree if it feels like the tree will break rather than come out. Loosen the dirt and try again.
2. Invest in a good pair of pruning shears.
Dig with a shovel in a circle around pine trees that are more than a foot but less than 3 feet tall. Dig as deeply as you can, since a foot-tall pine tree will have a tap root that goes at least 18 inches deep. Pry the tree up slowly to get as much of the tap root as you can. Cut the tap root with pruning shears only if the tree is too stubborn to come out.
3. Cut pine trees down in sections if they are between 3 and 5 feet tall. Lop the top off first, then the middle, then cut the trunk at ground level. Chop thick surface roots with a hatchet. Dig around the tap root with a shovel about 10 inches down. Chop the exposed tap root as far down in the hole as possible. Backfill the hole with dirt.
4. Small pine trees make good Christmas trees.
Leave pines that are between 5 and 7 feet tall for the winter. Offer them as Christmas trees to friends and neighbors if they are well shaped, or cut them down in sections as in Step 3.
Tips Warnings
Always wear garden gloves when working with pine trees to protect your skin from sticky pitch and sharp pine needles.
Do not allow yourself to be distracted when using a hatchet. Plant your feet wide apart, and make sure no one else has hands or feet anywhere near where you are working. Check to be sure no one is standing behind you when you raise it to strike.
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