I would deal with the willows with the excavator rather than chopping them to bits first.
Agree 100%. I'm very much in favor of mechanical rather than chemical control when it makes sense, and in a case like this, mechanical control makes sense for a lot of reasons.
If I was compelled to take on a stand of 3" sprouts with a bush hog, it would be a rented bush hog attached to a rented tractor.
In a situation like this one clearing the brush with a dozer is a no-brainer.
