I was a restoration ecologist by trade for 14 years. Oaks are the AAA buffets of the forest. More land used to be oak scrubland, and those conifers have encroached on oak habitat because the loggers love them more than the oak. This is what I would do:
1.) Harvest a patch of timber large enough to let enough light in, and mow down all the shrubs.
2.) Find the closest oaks to your property and look under them for acorns in the spring, especially ones that are already sprouting their first root.
3.) Plant a whole lot of them everywhere in good spaces like under your old stumps, or in natural holes, or maybe dig out some small swales.
4.) Go get a little cow cheat and make a compost tea, keep them wet, and mulch them super heavy.
5.) Clear out anything growing around them every couple months and make them barriers to keep off the deer and goats.
6.) Let the goats hammer everything but the oaks and maybe introduce some NON-INVASIVE / NATIVE grass seed if you can
7.) Bam, oak scrubland.
*Make sure to mulch any bare soil you create, and leave several standing conifers around (I leave the biggest, the most average, and few small ones).
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