ok ....

first we need to ID the tree ...

poplars put out a dusty feathery puffy stuff in late spring.. clogging my sinuses for weeks ...

oak trees drop acorns ...

so a good ID would help.... a pic of the seed pod will most likely get you an ID ...

that said... snip each sapling at ground level and apply 100% roundup [generic cheaper] or stumpkiller on the cambian layer.. which is the green band just inside the bark .. i use an old mustard holder which allows me to make drops or apply a thin band ... you could also use a paint brush ... more is NOT better.. as long as you hit the entire cambian ...

with trees like poplar.. it is imperative that you use the killer ... otherwise they will just keep re-sprouting .. FOREVER ...

good luck

ken

PS: the ID of the tree does not impact the suggestion of how to get rid of the saplings ... but it might help define future ways to avoid future problems ...

"the ID of the tree does not impact the suggestion of how to get rid of the saplings"

I'm not sure if that's entirely true. It's not a problem if they are really seedlings, but we have aspen sprouts that grow from the roots of established trees, and I'm not sure how herbicide on the clipped sprouts would affect the parent tree. To confuse things further, around here the aspens are known as "popples" (not poplars) and it took me a while after arriving in New England to figure out the difference.

So I do agree that it's important for the original poster to correctly ID the tree.

good catch NH .....

in your example... you better not apply killer if you wish to maintain the original tree ...

another example.. is the root stock sprouts on crabapples ...

ken

Given where this poster lives, I think he/she probably has Tulip Poplar - Liriodendron tulipifera:

{{gwi:449925}}

It was said "you can kill unwanted saplings by walking around with a pair of pruners and small squeeze bottle of herbicide"

Yes, that's true for saplings.

But if they are poplars, those "saplings" are more likely sprouts from the big tree's roots.

So, we absolutely must have pictures to be able to make useful suggestions.

They obviously aren't poplars. Poplars are not found in GA. (Except P. deltoides and even that is sporadic and not nearly as aggressive as in the plains states). Tulip trees are commonly referred to as "poplars" in the south and if it's not one of those it might be birch.

Here are maps showing the distribution of native and naturalized populations (not including planted or horticultural populations) of some Poplars in GA:

White Poplar (Populus alba) in GA - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=POAL7

Carolina poplar (Populus à canadensis) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=POCA19

Gray Poplar (Populus à canescens) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=POCA14

Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=PODE3

Swamp Cottonwood (Populus heterophylla) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=POHE4

Balm-of-Gilead (Populus à jackii) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=POJA2

Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra) - http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Georgia&statefips=13&symbol=PONI