otto, If I decide I need to remove some of the trees, I can walk out there in my boots and pull them out by hand. Might have to take a chainsaw to some bigger ones. The pond is only about 5 years old so my feet only sink about 6-8 inches. The reason for siphoning and starting over is that the guy who had it built and then stocked put twice as many fish as needed and the only bluegills he put in were hybrids. I bought the land and pond not knowing this. After 2 years of catching tiny bass even with lots of harvesting I finally called the previous owner and got the stocking specs. I now have 5 year old bass that are 8-10 inches long. I am starting over next spring.