Clearing Woods

[FarmerCharlie]

I am working on converting my 30 acres to mostly native grasses and woods. I have converted about 5 acres from Bahia pasture to NWSG and am now clearing another couple of acres for more NWSG. the next five acres were mostly woods of sweetgum and oak plus a heavy understory of privet and Elaeagnus. I finally have the privet mostly under control but need to spray again once the remaining ones leaf out.


Now that most of the privet is gone I am noticing quite a few small hollies of some type. They have leaves with mostly seven spikes.

Could someone identify it for me? And are these something I should also get rid of, or should I let them stay? I do have a border of dying red tips near the house, and I could move these hollies there. I also have someone coming to remove sweetgum once the weather dries. Should I have him remove them all, or would leaving a few be a good idea?
Finally, does anyone have suggestions for native understory plants to replace some of the privet? I am in USDA zone 8a in east Alabama

This summer I plan to begin tackling another 10 acres of privet-infested woods across my wet weather stream.

That should keep me busy for the rest of my life. :)
Thanks,
Charlie

 

[35-acre]

The holly looks like oak to me.

 

[FarmerCharlie]

The holly looks like oak to me.

This is a closeup of the front and back of a leaf. The leaf has seven sharp spines--sharp enough that is painful to touch them.

The leaf size varies somewhat from plant to plant. The one on the left is the same as the one above. The one on the right shows several leaves from a different plant.

 

[Telemark]

Holly doesn't have much use for me. Deer browse it a bit in the dead of winter but otherwise ignore it. If you want something for birds you could plant winterberry perhaps. Not sure Holly would be good for anything that far south.

 

[yoderjac]

Holly can be an important food source for birds. Deer will eat the berries as well. In your zone, it my be less important than in the north. It is not a plant that I would either plant or eradicate. It is nice to have when it gets large for cover for bow hunting . Variety is important in habitat. I'd probably keep whatever comes from your native seed bank unless it is a particularly noxious or invasive plant. Whatever is there is likely well adapted for your area. I'm a bit further north than you in zone 7A, an I frequently see turkey in it eating the berries.

Best of luck in your endeavors,

Jack