Stan,
I am currently in the process of clearing my dam of trees. Most of these are small pines and poplar. My main concern is the pines. Pine trees have a long tap root that grows straight down. Its the reason they snap during tornado's instead of uprooting as oaks do, which have a shallow root system. The tap root of a pine could puncture the core , jepardizing the integrity of the dam.

I agree that by cutting down trees you may leave a root system that will begin to decay, but I think I had rather deal with dead roots than actively growing root systems.

We will be chipping up most to the trees rather than burning since we are still in drought conditions here in the South. I brought a Vermeer BC1000XL chipper home this weekend similar to the one Theo used at his pond.

Once the trees are removed and the briars and brush cleared, I will be planing some Bahia Tifton 9 grass on both sides. It has a deep root system for grass and requires little care once established.

The recommendation for clearing the dam was made by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

He also added that he would not worry about cutting any tree bigger around than my leg. Thats a pretty big tree. He said the mature trees, if they had not caused problems already, probably wouldn't.

hope this helps

"One fish. Two fish. Red fish. Blue fish. Black fish. Blue fish. Old fish. New fish. This one has a little star. This one has a little car. Say! What a lot of fish there are." Dr. Seuss