How to Kill a Hawthorn

Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) produce dense crowns and bright fruit that songbirds, deer and other animals appreciate, but these admirable traits don't always offset the tree's drawbacks. Showy hawthorn flowers produce a pungent scent that attracts flies and carrion beetles instead of compliments. The attractive, serrated leaves hide 1-inch-long thorns that catch unwary pedestrians. And, although hawthorns adapt to most conditions, they fall prey to fireblight, leaf blight and other pests. Killing and removing a problematic hawthorn is often the best option.

Thick leather gloves
Eye protection
Long-handled loppers
Pruning saw
Axe or chainsaw
Herbicide containing triclopyr or glyphosate
Ladder (if necessary)

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until the hawthorn's leaves are full and the tree is actively growing. Spray the growing tree with a shrub-killer containing triclopyr or, if triclopyr is unavailable, glyphosate. If the tree does not wilt after two to six weeks, spray it again.
- 2
  
  Long-handled loppers protect you from thorns and provide extra leverage.
  
  Wear eye protection, thick gloves and a long-sleeved shirt or jacket to protect you from thorns. Begin pruning the outer branches with long-handled loppers. Use a pruning saw for branches larger than one inch in diameter. Continue cutting branches until you remove the majority of the crown, using a ladder to reach higher branches. If you choose to use a chainsaw, never cut branches higher than your shoulders.
- 3
  Clear a safe area before cutting down the trunk if you remove a particularly large hawthorn. This area should give you a quick exit if the trunk falls in an unexpected direction.
- 4
  Make an undercut at the base of the hawthorn's trunk facing the direction you wish the tree to fall. An undercut is a wide, V-shaped cut that guides the tree's direction as it falls. A good undercut depth is one-quarter the tree's diameter. Make the cut roughly 90 degrees wide for the straightest fall.
- 5
  Make a backcut opposite the undercut, and one to two inches higher than the undercut's deepest point. A backcut is a straight cut that weakens the tree and allows the undercut to collapse. Leave a thin hinge of wood in the center; don't cut completely through the trunk. Move to your safe area as the trunk falls.
- 6
  
  Grind a stump at least 12 inches deep if you decide to re-seed with grass.
  
  Level, grind or remove the stump. Paint any remaining stump with triclopyr or glyphosate. Pay particular attention to the wood just under the bark; this wood produces suckers.

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