Depends on what invasives you are talking about, blackberries, ivy, kudzu, dandelion, etc.

Catmint has it right,eradication efforts must be specifically taliored to the targeted plants and to the size of the infestation.Different problems require different methods.

Well if it is a plant capable of bearing seeds, the first thing I try to do is get rid of any with berries, seeds. This is how I tackled honeysuckle. Then after those plants were gone, I worked on the honeysuckle in the shade (which was not getting enough sun to set fruit). For English Ivy, get it off the vertical growing spaces because that is when it matures enough to flower and set fruit.

Just one perspective.

I'm a "hands and knees" gardener... I hand-pull everything that's non-native or invasive and destroy it in my fire pit with the exception of poison ivy which I dig up, bag and leave to fry in the sun. I find that plucking weeds and aliens on a daily basis, a bit here and there is the best way to keep up with things after large-scale eradication is completed.

My husband on the other hand wouldn't bend to pluck a weed if his life depended on it :o/

Barb
southern Ontario, CANADA

Thanks Barb. I tend to be a "hands and knees" gardener also. I have just spent my last several gardening hours experimenting with different ways of getting porcelain berry off of junipers on a steep slope (there is no easy way to do this).
I had posted the original question because I was surprised to find that I had independently discovered many useful techniques that were already described in garden literature (like cutting vines low, then high, dessicating cut weeds on black asphalt, mulching with newspaper around saplings, dealing with vines before other invasives, etc.) and figured that we may as well spare others some of those lessons learned the hard way.
I like the idea of the fire pit -- instant gratification.

"I like the idea of the fire pit -- instant gratification."

LOL Bob... you have it exactly right. I feel a great sense of gratification when I toss my handfuls of weeds into the pit and know that the next campfire we have will mean death to a few more weeds and their seeds.

Barb
southern Ontario, CANADA

Larger invasive shrubs (bush honeysuckle) and smaller trees come out easily with a device called the Weed Wrench.
I learned about it on the woodlands forum, and it's fantastic. It comes in 3 sizes. Do an internet search for it, and check it out.

I actually got a weed wrench a little while ago and found that it worked well but I have been involved much more with vine cutting and dealing with some dangerous tree situations for the last few months. I will be putting the weed wrench to good use again when the warm weather is gone. I actually spoke to the inventor when I called to order the weed wrench. He seems like a very nice, smart and committed man. Nice to see there are some businesses like that around.

2-4-d is my weapon of choice. I am in the process of having to destroy poabably more than a million Buckthorn plants on my small 2 acres. They are every where and the more I kill, the more show up the next year. I expect this will take another ten years before almost all of them killed. But it will take extreme dilligence for the next 50 years to complete the job.
I buy 65% 2-4-d at Running Fleet farm for a bout $17 per gallon. Cheap. I make a goodly solution of poisen in my sprayer and spend most of May and June hitting the new growth. About a month later those that got hit are DEAD.
I've been at this for 4 years now and it is a real joy to see the new wildflowers coming back into their own.

For the invasive woodies around here, I use a Weed Wrench when it is effective (soil is moist, plants are small)

At other times, I rely on cut-stump applications of herbicide for woodies. This time of year (late summer-early fall), applications of 10% to 20% glyphosate (active ingredient of roundup) painted on freshly cut stumps of autumn olive and bush honeysuckle is effective.

In other seasons, I do stump applications of Tordon RTU, but I avoid this because it is a more persistent herbicide (and has more toxicity to non-target species).

I generally avoid spraying herbicide because I'm afraid of drift onto desirable species. The one exception so far has been a small patch of sericea lespedeza. I have been hammering this patch back to bare dirt with roundup for three growing seasons now, yet new seedlings keep appearing. I do this because I dread what would happen if this patch was able to spread throughout our area. Once established, it has a seed bank that makes it nearly impossible to control.

in a smallish garden, if you are able bodied, wet the soil beforehand so that it is softish but not muddy, put on some knee pads, sturdy leather gloves,wear appropriately protective clothes,carry a small, sturdy digging/cutting/clipping/ implement of choice.
crawl through the garden and dig/stab/cut/clip/poke/saw/hack/pull whatever does not belong.
In a larger setting, I sparingly use glyphosate with a small spray, drip, or squirt type applicator that can make it easy to "apply directly to the forehead" of the specific offensive plant.
On woodies I treat the stump with (tordon?)I think that is what it is called.
huzzah man out

Thanks to all for responding. I am helping out with the ecological restoration of an 8.5 acre property. Neighboring areas are heavily infested with invasives so potential for reintroduction always exists and does happen. Therefore, I am always looking for the fastest way to clear out as much of this junk as possible since it's a big area under constant assault. BTW, I lateley found that a hand held weed whacking blade (very old school, just a blade on the end of a stick at a right angle) is very useful. I want to buy some more but can't seem to find them for sale anywhere. I have independently "discovered" a lot of techniques that I later found in expert literature and figured this thread might help me and others to learn some more without quite some much trial and error.

As an avid dumpster diver I am always on the lookout for treasures in the trash of others.
I have found a few of the old "hockey stick" style, manual weed wackers in trash and at garage/estate sales. the older ones are really well built.
Way back when, I spent more than a few hours swinging one of these tools and cutting weeds for my dad at his business.

Something I read in a woodland thread. Don't try to pull large vines off trees. It damages them. Cut the vine at the base, and leave it on the tree.

As long as you are removing wild grape though it makes good wreaths. Leave the leaves on the vine and wrap around an old pot or a form made by nailing three or four sticks on a board making a 'reel' to wrap the vines around. Leave it out until the vines dry and the leaves disintegrate. It usually holds together well, or tie the branches as desired, and decorate.

If you have a small area, throw some sod right over it. I did that and the sod took, smothering what was underneath.

Sometimes I let the plants get bigger before I remove them. They are easier targets. I am waiting for devils beggars tick to get almost to the seed stage before I bother.

Hi! I moved to a house on 4 acres that is heavily wooded. Very nice... but the previous owners planted english ivy all over! It has know run amuck up the trees etc. I have cut around the base of the trees to let the ivy die and pulled up ALOT in the perenial beds by the house - the Big question is - what do I do about the ivy that is now running down the hill and into the woods? That is a heck of alot of ivy to pull!!! I am leary of spraying round-up on this much area but any other ideas? short of a crew and a dump truck (literally). and should I compost ivy or will I spread it around later? or burn it!! I like that idea too >:)

Thanks for any ideas

Check out www.noivyleague.com for some ideas. The management profiles at The Nature Conservancy's website are usually helpful as well.
You already did the most important thing which is to cut the english ivy off of the trees. It's theoretically possible that pulled fragments can take root so you will want to kill the fragments before returning them to the soil. After pulling up the ivy I like to dry it to death on asphalt or a rock for a good long time, once it's really dead you can compost it or return it to the woods. Sometimes I just hang the pulled vines from tree branches and bushes to die out. English Ivy is a little bit poisonous and can be an irritant so I would not burn it. You should also wear gloves when pulling it up.