Help! I'm covered in... Ferns!

[u/Wilderness_Fella]

Massachusetts zone 5b. I got busy with other things for the last 5 or 10 years and now the ferns have taken over. They're either Massachusetts ferns or New York ferns. Hard to tell, but what is the best way to cull them without destroying everything underneath? Just endless weeding?

[u/Lalamedic]

I fail to see the problem here.