If you need blackberry bush removal in Woodland, WA, the canes are only the part you can see. Himalayan blackberry regrows from its root crown and from root pieces left in the soil, so mowing a patch flat buys you a season at most. English ivy spreads the same way along the ground and climbs into your trees on top of it. Both are listed noxious weeds in Washington, and both need the roots out and someone checking back.
Bogar Landscaping removes blackberry and ivy mechanically: we cut, dig, pull, haul and return for the resprouts, then replant so the ground does not sit bare. We work across Clark and Cowlitz County, from backyard fence lines in Woodland to brushy acreage up the Lewis River.
What Our Blackberry and Ivy Removal in Woodland, WA Includes
- Walk-through and flagging. We mark the trees, shrubs and natives you want saved, plus fences, sprinkler lines and septic lids hidden in the growth.
- Cutting canes and vines down to stubs so we can reach the base.
- Digging out root crowns by hand, or with a mini excavator on large, established stands.
- Cutting ivy off trees at the base and clearing a ring around each trunk.
- Pulling ground ivy and rolling it out of beds and slopes.
- Haul-off. Canes, roots and vines leave the property with us.
- Follow-up visits to dig resprouts while they are small.
- Replanting or mulching the cleared ground so weeds have nowhere to start.
Noxious Weed Status in Washington
Both plants are on the state noxious weed list, but the rules differ:
| Himalayan blackberry | English ivy | |
|---|---|---|
| State class | Class C, listed 2009 | Class C, listed 2002, covering four invasive cultivars |
| Sale | Not on the state quarantine list | On the quarantine list. Selling, buying or distributing it in Washington has been prohibited since August 9, 2025 |
| Must you remove it? | Usually not. Class C control is up to each county | Usually not. Control is encouraged |
Clark County says plainly that Class C weeds such as blackberry and ivy are widespread and do not require control. Cowlitz County's weed board sets its own priorities, so if you have received a notice, call them first. Either way, nobody is going to fine you for having blackberries. The real cost is a yard, fence line or tree you slowly lose to them.
Signs It Is Time to Call
- Canes arching over the fence or rooting where their tips touch the lawn.
- A thicket you cannot walk through where there used to be yard.
- Ivy climbing a tree trunk, or green ivy leaves showing high in the canopy.
- Ivy carpeting the ground under trees so nothing else grows.
- Berries ripening every summer, which means birds are planting the next patch.
Blackberry Bush Removal: Cutting Canes and Digging Root Crowns
Himalayan blackberry canes can reach 20 to 40 feet and root at their tips wherever they touch soil, and stands can grow about 13 feet tall. The state board's manual method is the one we follow, scaled up with equipment:
- Cut the canes down to roughly a foot of stem, enough to find and grab the base.
- Pull the cut canes aside and haul them so the ground is visible.
- Dig out the root crown, the woody knob where canes meet the roots, plus as many spreading side roots as we can reach.
- Use the mini excavator on big stands. Old thickets on fence lines and acreage have crowns too large and too many to dig by hand.
- Rake out root fragments. Pieces left in the soil can sprout.
- Grade and cover the ground with mulch, sod or new plants.
Digging goes best from fall through spring, when the soil is moist. If canes are loaded with fruit, we cut them before the berries ripen, because birds spread the seeds.
English Ivy Removal: Ground Ivy and Ivy on Trees
Ivy on trees: the survival ring
Ivy adds a lot of weight to a tree, and its dense foliage acts like a sail in a windstorm, which raises the risk of the tree coming down. Ivy can only feed from roots in the soil, so the fix is to separate the climbing vines from the ground:
- Cut every vine around the trunk at about waist to chest height.
- Pry the lower vines off the bark carefully, without stripping it.
- Clear a ring of at least 3 to 6 feet of ground around the trunk, as King County recommends, and mulch it.
- Leave the upper vines alone. They die and loosen over time. Tearing them out of the canopy damages bark and drops debris on whoever is pulling.
This matters for seed, too. Ivy that climbs and matures starts fruiting, and the state board notes about 70 percent of ivy seeds are viable.
Ground ivy
Ground ivy is pulled and dug by hand, roots and all, while the soil is soft from fall through spring. We roll it into mats and haul it, because stems and roots left on damp ground can re-root. Where an area will be planted later, a smothering layer of cardboard and at least 8 inches of mulch is another option, though King County advises waiting at least two years before replanting.
Mechanical Removal Methods Compared
| Method | Works on | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing or cutting only | Blackberry | Fast and cheap for a season | Root crowns resprout, often thicker |
| Hand digging root crowns | Blackberry, ground ivy | Removes the regrowth source | Labor-heavy on big stands |
| Mini excavator | Large blackberry stands, old fence lines | Pulls big crowns and root mats quickly | Needs access; disturbs soil that must be covered |
| Survival ring on trees | Climbing ivy | Kills the canopy vines without hurting the tree | Ground ivy still has to be pulled |
| Sheet mulching | Ground ivy, small resprouts | Smothers regrowth on cleared ground | Slow; years before planting |
| Goats | Blackberry | Keeps growth in check | Grazing controls spread but does not eradicate |
Some homeowners pair removal with herbicide on the resprouts. In Washington, applying herbicide on someone else's property for hire requires a WSDA commercial pesticide applicator license, so ask to see it from anyone offering that service. Our removal work is mechanical.
Blackberry and Ivy Around Woodland and Southwest Washington
Mild, wet winters keep both plants growing most of the year. Blackberry fills ditches, fence lines, stream banks and acreage edges along the Lewis River and SR-503. Ivy takes over shady lots in older neighborhoods, spreading under Douglas firs and cedars and climbing their trunks.
A few local realities shape the work:
- Storm season. Ivy-loaded trees carry extra weight into winter wind and ice, like the January 2024 storm that earned a federal disaster declaration for Cowlitz and Clark County. Cutting survival rings before winter takes that weight off a tree you want to keep.
- No burning in town. Residential and land-clearing burning is permanently banned within Woodland's city limits and urban growth area, so everything gets hauled.
- Slopes. Ripping ivy off a steep bank before the rains invites erosion. We clear slopes in sections and cover each one before moving on, paired with erosion control where needed.
Follow-Up Visits and Replanting
Removal is not a one-visit job. The state board advises monitoring cleared ivy areas for several years, and blackberry roots left behind resprout. We schedule follow-up visits through the first growing season to dig resprouts and seedlings while they are small and easy.
Then the cleared ground needs a new job. Options we install:
- Native shrubs and groundcovers that compete well, through our native plant landscaping service.
- Bark dust over cleared beds, through mulch and bark installation.
- New lawn where the blackberries took over turf, with sod installation.
What Affects the Cost of Blackberry and Ivy Removal
- Size and age of the stand. Old thickets have bigger crowns and denser roots.
- Hand work or machine. Mini excavator work is faster on big stands but needs access.
- Number of trees that need survival rings, and how thick the vines are.
- Slopes and access. Steep banks and tight side yards slow everything down.
- Haul volume and disposal fees for canes, roots and vines.
- Follow-up and replanting, priced as separate line items.
For yards where blackberry is mixed with other brush and saplings, see our overgrown yard and brush clearing service.
