Weed trees: identify them and stop them for good

Weed trees are volunteer seedlings of fast-spreading species such as maple, boxelder, mulberry, Siberian elm, black locust and tree of heaven that sprout in beds, fence lines and lawn edges. Pull them while they are small; once they are woody, cutting alone makes most of them resprout, so either dig out the root or treat the fresh stump with a herbicide labeled for cut-stump use.

Contents

Which weed trees are most common?
How do you get rid of weed tree seedlings?
How do you kill a larger weed tree so it doesn’t grow back?
What about suckers?
Why is tree of heaven a special case?
Common mistakes with weed trees
FAQ

Which weed trees are most common?

A few species account for most of the trees that pop up uninvited. Wind spreads the winged seeds of maples and elms; birds drop mulberry, cherry and Callery pear seeds along fences and under power lines; squirrels bury acorns and walnuts in beds and lawns. Use the table for weed tree identification, then check the leaves against the look-alikes.

Tree	How to recognize the seedling	How it spreads	Resprouts after cutting?
Silver, Norway and other maples	Leaves in opposite pairs, lobed; paired winged seeds nearby	Wind-blown seeds	Yes, from the stump
Boxelder	Opposite, compound leaves with 3 to 5 toothed leaflets	Wind-blown seeds	Yes
White mulberry	Toothed leaves, some plain, some mitten-shaped, on the same plant; milky sap	Birds eat the fruit	Yes
Siberian elm	Small, toothed oval leaves; flat, round papery seeds in spring	Wind-blown seeds	Yes
Black locust	Compound leaves with small oval leaflets; paired thorns where leaves attach	Seeds and root suckers	Yes, from the roots
Callery pear	Glossy, oval, finely toothed leaves; thorny stems on volunteers	Birds eat the small fruit	Yes
Tree of heaven	Long compound leaves, smooth-edged leaflets with a small gland-bearing lobe at the base; strong odor when crushed	Winged seeds and root suckers	Yes, aggressively
Oak, walnut, hickory	Seedling still attached to an acorn or nut below ground	Squirrels and jays	Usually, when young

Look-alikes to check before you pull

Boxelder vs. poison ivy: young boxelder with three leaflets is often mistaken for poison ivy. Boxelder leaves grow in opposite pairs along the stem; poison ivy leaves alternate. If in doubt, wear gloves.
Tree of heaven vs. sumac, black walnut and hickory: all have long compound leaves, but the native trees have toothed leaflet edges. Tree of heaven leaflets are smooth-edged except for one or two small lobes at the base, and the crushed leaves smell unpleasant.
Japanese knotweed: its canes grow tree-high and look woody, but it is not a tree: it dies back to the ground every winter and regrows from rhizomes. See the Japanese knotweed guide.

For other unknown plants, the weed identification guide and its identifier cover the common yard weeds.

How do you get rid of weed tree seedlings?

Pull them young, after rainFirst-year seedlings have a slender stem and a small taproot that slides out of moist soil. Grip low and pull steadily so the root comes with it.
Dig the ones that resistTwo- or three-year-old saplings need a weeding fork or a narrow spade. Get the top few inches of root; pieces of root left in the ground can resprout in suckering species.
Don’t rely on mowingMowing or trimming cuts the top, but an established seedling grows back from its base. Dig it out instead.
Check beds every springMulch does little against big seeds like maple samaras and acorns, which can sprout from deeper in the soil. A quick walk after the seed drop catches them while they are easy.

In beds full of shrubs and perennials, hand removal is usually the safest option. More bed tactics are in our weeds in flower beds guide.

How do you kill a larger weed tree so it doesn’t grow back?

Once a volunteer is too big to dig, cutting it down is only half the job: most broadleaf trees push up new shoots from the stump or the roots. Most pines are the exception and do not resprout when cut. The usual fix is a cut-stump treatment:

Cut lowCut the stem close to the ground, leaving a short stump with a flat top.
Treat immediatelyApply the herbicide within minutes of cutting. Delays let the cut seal and reduce uptake.
Cover the outer ringThe living tissue just inside the bark carries the herbicide to the roots. On larger stumps, treat a band about 2 inches wide all around the edge; on small stems, wet the whole cut surface.
Use a product labeled for itGlyphosate and triclopyr amine are the usual active ingredients for residential cut-stump work because they have little soil activity. Extension guidance warns that weak ready-to-use sprays don’t work consistently on stumps, so use a product whose label lists cut-stump treatment, at the strength it gives.
Pick the seasonLate summer through fall is usually best. Avoid early spring, when strong upward sap flow works against the herbicide moving down to the roots.
Follow upCheck for sprouts the following season and treat them while they are small.

Protect yourself: wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses, add a spray marker dye if the product allows it so you can see what you have treated, and read and follow the label. In the US, the label is the law.

Root grafts and trees you want to keep

Trees of the same species growing close together can join underground through root grafts, and a herbicide applied to one can move into its neighbor. Be cautious about treating a stump near a tree of the same kind that you want to keep, and ask a certified arborist or your county extension office when a valuable tree is nearby.

What about suckers?

Suckers are shoots that come up from the roots or the base of an existing tree. Two cases need different handling:

Suckers from a tree you want to keep (common on lindens, crabapples, some cherries and grafted trees): prune them off flush with the root or trunk with clean pruners, as often as they appear. Never spray herbicide on them: they are connected to the parent tree and the product can reach it.
Suckers from a weed tree or a stump (black locust, tree of heaven, sumac, poplars): cutting them stimulates more. Treat the parent tree or stump with a systemic herbicide at the right season, then deal with the remaining sprouts.

Why is tree of heaven a special case?

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is an invasive tree that grows fast, produces huge numbers of winged seeds and sends root suckers far from the trunk. It is also a preferred host of the spotted lanternfly. Cutting it down without treatment makes things worse: the tree responds with dozens of stump sprouts and root suckers. Penn State Extension recommends this approach:

Treat in mid to late summerFrom July until the leaves start to change color, the tree moves sugars down to its roots, and a systemic herbicide goes with them. Treatments at other times mostly kill the top.
Match the method to the sizeFoliar spray for small trees whose leaves you can cover without hitting other plants. Basal bark (a triclopyr ester product mixed with oil, applied to the lower 12 to 18 inches of the trunk all the way around) for stems up to about 6 inches across. Hack-and-squirt for trees about 1 inch and larger.
Hack-and-squirt correctlyWith a hatchet, make downward-angled cuts through the bark, one per inch of trunk diameter (at least two), spaced around the trunk with uncut bark between them, and fill each cut with a glyphosate or triclopyr product labeled for this use.
Wait before cuttingIf the tree must come down, wait about 30 days for symptoms to develop before felling it.
Keep after itFirst treatments often only weaken the root system. Check for sprouts for the next few years and treat them.

Seedlings of tree of heaven can be pulled when the soil is moist, but only if you get the whole root: small root pieces left behind can regrow.

Common mistakes with weed trees

Cutting and walking away: most broadleaf trees resprout, often with several stems where there was one.
Waiting a year: a seedling you can pull in May needs a spade the following spring.
Spraying suckers on a tree you want to keep: the herbicide can injure the parent tree.
Treating stumps in early spring: rising sap reduces uptake.
Using a lawn weed killer on saplings: most lawn products are not labeled for woody plants; check the label for the species and size of tree.

Weed trees are one of the tougher groups in our weed identification section, alongside vines like bindweed and poison ivy. For a tree near a house, power line or property line, or one too large to handle safely, call a licensed arborist.

FAQ

What is a weed tree?

A weed tree is any tree growing where you don’t want it, usually a volunteer seedling dropped by wind, birds or squirrels. Common weed trees in US yards include silver and Norway maples, boxelder, white mulberry, Siberian elm, black locust, Callery pear and tree of heaven.

Will a tree grow back if I cut it down?

Most broadleaf trees will. Maples, elms, mulberry, black locust, boxelder and tree of heaven resprout from the stump or the roots, sometimes with dozens of shoots. Most pines do not. To stop resprouting, treat the fresh stump with a herbicide labeled for cut-stump use, or dig out the root of small trees.

What is the best way to kill a tree of heaven?

Do not cut it first. Penn State Extension recommends treating it with a systemic herbicide in mid to late summer (July to the start of fall color), when the tree moves sugars down to its roots, using hack-and-squirt, basal bark or foliar methods depending on size. Wait about 30 days for symptoms before cutting it down, and expect to treat sprouts in later years.

Is Japanese knotweed a tree?

No. Japanese knotweed is a herbaceous perennial with hollow, bamboo-like canes that can grow taller than a person but die back to the ground each winter. It spreads from deep rhizomes and needs its own approach: see our Japanese knotweed guide.

How do I get rid of tree seedlings in my flower beds?

Pull them by hand after a rain, when the soil is moist and the small taproot slides out whole. First-year seedlings come out easily; after a year or two they need digging. Mulch does little against large seeds like maple samaras and acorns, so check beds every spring.

Updated October 3, 2026