On 6 Jul 2005 13:43:33 -0700, wrote:
I have some shrubs I need to kill that are along a lake shore. I
cannot use any chemicals--natural or otherwise. I also won't be able
to pull the shrubs out. Their roots are too strong and the terrain
would make it impractical. If I cut them back, they just sprout right
back up.

I'd ring the main stems -- slip off the bark in a ring around each and every
stem, as far down toward the soil as possible. Make sure you destroy the
green layer, the cambium, immediately under the bark. Then wait. Should
be dead in a couple of years, maximum, and then you can just prune and
haul the tops away.

But... what's going to hold the shoreline when you've removed the
shrubs? Do you need a permit in your area to alter shoreline vegetation?
This is one instance when it's not always easier to ask forgiveness
than permission... and potentially a whole lot more expensive.