How to Remove a Dead Tree With a Poison Ivy Vine Attached
 

Hi

We would like to take down a dead 10 inch tree. The tree has a very well developed 3 inch poison ivy vine growing clear to the top.

I can kill the bottom 15 to 20 feet or so with a round-up type spray. What about the part I can't spray? I've been told burning will put the oils into the air, and that sawing through the vine will spread the oils also, for a long time after the vine is cut.

The only thing I can think of is to fell the tree, and make as few cuts as I can to roll it into the woods that sit 20 feet away from the tree, and then spray (or inject?) the herbicide.

Has anyone dealt with this?

Rick

Yup, I used a chain saw and cut both the vine and the tree down. Then I reached around it with my chain and pulled it up front.

I am telling you how NOT to do it.

I am not (historically) very sensitive to urushiol, but after atomizing it (with the chain saw), wrapping my hoodie-covered arms around it (it was cold at the time) and then wearing the hoodie for a day or two after...

I had the worst case of Poison Ivy I've every seen on anyone on my arms and face. (I have a habit of wiping my brow with my forearm). I still have scars on my forearm from what that stuff did to my arm.

So take it as a "how not to".

You can cut the vine near the root and let dry this summer then cut it in the fall. That way the vine is dead and dried out. Then you can cut the tree and rool it up and put it whever you want it and probily not get poision ivy if you
wash well after touching the vine.

It should be possible to cut the large "hairy" vine without contaminating yourself. An old junk handsaw is a possibility. Cut at ground level and several feet above that. Use the saw as a wedge under one end, and peel the vine off of the trunk with newspaper to prevent direct contact.

That will give you a clear space to use the chainsaw, with relative safety.

You are actually a tree surgeon and should dress for surgery. Disposable coveralls, mask, gloves, shoe covers, etc. Think through the proceedure in advance (even practice it first) to protect you from contaminating yourself.

Usherol is a hazardous material and you must treat it as such.

Don't just go yanking it down from the tree, either. My dh did that with poison oak. He thought it was just "vines". This was AFTER we had walked through our woods and I had pointed out to him where the poison oak was. I was a bad wife. I laughed.

If you know someone who isn't allergic to poison ivy, could you offer to trade chores for something they need done?

They would still need to take precautions against exposure to the itchy oils but they're probably less likely to get a rash.

If you are sensitive, you are almost guaranteed that you'll get it.

I'm sensitive and, when I needed to remove an inch-thick vive from a detached garage, I sprayed it with Roundup and waited a month to pull it down. I dressed in old clothes, including a windbreaker, from head to toe. Then, I threw the clothes away. I still got a rash.

Two years later, I dug fence post holes near the garage. Some of the dirt got into my shoes and I got a rash.

We just cut them down and let it die. I normally use a weed eater on the ivy thats coming up...I keep jewel weed handy and put a bit of clorox in my bath water after I deal with it.what ever you do don't burn it. wear an over shirt and gloves but dont wash them with the normal laundry instead let them hang outside for a few days in the sun then wash them.

Oh, just a note, I am not "allergic" to Poison Ivy and I typically pull it with bare hands. So, anywhoo...

It seems as though, if I see poison ivy, I already have the rash.

find yourself a llama or sheet and let them eat the ivy down.

Don't try to find somebody who isn't allergic. Many people who have lived years w/o any problems do become sensitive after a while. My mother is one; at age 28. I'd use big branch cutters and cut the vine in a few places, clean the cutters with alcohol or bleach, leave the tree standing for a couple of years. Could spray with Round Up, too. The oils can stay active for that long. Never burn. Sue

Poison ivy never used to bother me, until some idiot who shall remain nameless picked up the plastic bag I had put pulled poison ivy into and threw it on a fire he had burning. My face was swollen so bad people thought I had been beat up.

Anyway, best way to get rid of the vine is cut out a 2 or 3 foot section (hand saw or long handled lopping shears, I recommend the long handled lopping shears), pull off the cut section (use the lopping shears for that), and paint the bottom cut end with full strength Brush-B-Gone concentrate. Do not dilute for this use. Wait a couple weeks for the top to dry before cutting the dead tree. The Brush-B-Gone is to keep the plant from resprouting from the roots, which it will do.

i would wack it low to the ground with an axe or a machette. take a section of the vine out with two cuts so there is a space between the ends of the cut vine. i have had big poison ivy vines heal after i cut them but left the cut edges touching. let the vine die this summer as someone else said and cut the tree in the fall. if you could leave the tree where it falls, you could cut it now or in the fall just so you can get in to cut it without touching the vine. either way it will take a while for the vine to rot free from the tree to the point where you can knock it away from the trunk. those hairy things on the vine can penetrate pretty deep into the bark depending on what kind of tree it is. some trees are pretty good about shedding all of their bark at once when they die and that makes removing the dead vines much easier. trees like black locust and maple shed bark in sheets. whatever you do remember that poison ivy oils can be dangerous for a year on clothing and such that has not been washed, so i assume it can last as long in a vine that is not rotten yet.

i doubt spraying any of the vine before you prune it will be anything more than a waste of time and money. you will be spraying the pruned crown for years to come as it is. without getting all of the foliage, spraying is futile.

You can burn it if you are careful but you have to kill it first and let the vine dry out. We just used a shovel to cut the vine let it die till the leaves are all dried up make a mixture of used oil and a little gas give the vine a heavy coat. We used a hand sprayer, and make sure nobody else is around light and run. it Did not get the very top of the vine but it cleared enough for us to cut the tree safely.

I will never again complain about the small itchy bumps I sometimes get from pulling down poison ivy vines.
Never allergic to it until we bought property w/acres of it. Vines so big I thought they were trees.
I'm able to climb up in a tree that has it thrughout & saw it off, then burn it. I can snip it at the ground & mow it. I get only a few itchy weepy bumps & not always. Caladryl takes care of it.
Rick-if I was anywhere near you, I'd trade chores! Good luck.

Patty

DO NOT, I say again DO NOT use a chain saw.

Use a pruning saw or a crosscut buck saw. A fast-moving chain saw will atomize the oils and spread them everywhere -- including your eyes and lungs.

Really bad idea.

Wear a Tyvek coverall, a hat, gloves and a face mask that's NIOSH rated. When you're done, throw them all away. Wash down immediately with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol -- it breaks down the urushiol. Then take a shower.

The base can be painted with straight Roundup. This will kill it down to the roots. If it even thinks of looking green, paint it again.

All you need to do initially is cut a six to twelve inch section out of the main root/stem, then paint the ends with Roundup. Wait for it to kill the poison ivy, then drop the tree.

Do not burn the tree.

Good luck!

I'm another one that wasn't allergic to poison ivy. I used to pull it bare-handed all the time. But then one year in doing the gardening, I apparently got a small cut and the oil got in the cut. Yep - kind of like injecting it into my system. I had NO clue what it was when it turned up but now I know and every episode results in a trip to the doctor and steroids. :(

I have some I have to get out of the garden. I was realizing I should have timed it with my last dermatologist visit. Oh well.

Patty

You are a peach!

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to warn me. Ann already had the case of poison Ivy on the face from a burning vine (night-time campfire), and another case on her arms requiring pampers to contain the weeping- so we'll proceed patiently.

We'll pry off some vine and paint everything liberally with the herbacide. We thought the vine could put roots in the upper part of the tree and survive. If this kills the plant, then we can wait until Fall or next Spring.

I will take the precautions of disposable- or special handling clothing.

Thanks again.

Rick

Gary

Can I borrow your Llama for the weekend?

My goats eat it like it's candy! I put gloves on, and pull it off the trees for them, then toss the gloves in the wash. Works great for me, guess I'm lucky.

No, poison ivy cannot live off the tendrils it sends into trees. They are for support only. Even if it could, since the tree is dead it is not bringing any nutrients up for the vine to feed off. I have seen cases where the vine will grow and reconnect if the distance between the cuts is not large enough. Which side grows to reconnect? I don't know for a fact but I believe the base is the part that regrows. It does take a few days for the top part of the vine to start wilting but I have treated many vines with the cut and herbicide method (it is actually the method taught in forestry management/woodlot manangement classes) and never had one regrow. The concentrated Brush-B-Gone usually kills roots and all with the one treatment. Good luck with your vine and tree.

If I was there, I'd help. Poison ivy doesn't affect me.

Wrap both the tree and the vine in plastic wrap. Use the whole roll and cover as much as you can. Then use a bow saw to cut the vine. Once through spread the cut open an place a jar lid or sheet metal piece into the cut. Leave for the rest of the summer and let the vine dry and die. Remove the tree and vine next winter.

Never burn it! If you breathe the smoke it gets the stuff into your lungs and can kill you. I remember reading about that happening to a young man once. Perfectly healthy, home from college on a break and did some brush clearing on the farm, then lit off the pile and the smoke killed him.

Jennifer

Oh for crying out loud! DON'T BURN IT!! Even after it's dried out!! The urushiol will remain potent even in dead or dormant vines for years. Also, don't put clorox on yourself. Duh.

Cut away a piece of the vine with an ax, then cut down the tree. If you can get the vine and bark off the tree, then you can still use it ( the tree) for firewood. As another poster suggested, be sure to wash all of your clothing or wear disposable stuff. Also, you can spray yourself with rubbing alcohol to neutralize the urushiol, but you'll still want to shower after you are done, just in case. No special soaps needed, by the way.

Anybody know how to get the poison ivy oil off leather gloves?

Toss the leather gloves in the trash. You'll never get the poison out of them.

When I've been working extensively with poison ivy or oak I don't even bother trying to wash anything. I just toss it. I'm not even allergic but I find it to be better safe than sorry. I've known two people quite close to em that have become seriously ill after exposure with one of them nearly dying. He was exposed to burning poison ivy and had serious lung complications. They didn't know if he would make it for a while. Another had a small patch on her stomach that spread and got so bad she was hospitalized.

Like I said, I'm not allergic to it and it doesn't bother me but who knows if that might change as I get older for one reason or another. Trashing 20 bucks worth of clothing is better than spending hundreds or thousands at the doctor and pharmacy and being miserable for weeks.

Danaus,
As the "plague" spreads across the ground it sends out rootlets while the majority of the vine is above ground, just like honeysuckle or Virginia creeper.
Am presently treating a downed maple that is "infected" in this manner

It is possible for the vine to receive nourishment from the decaying moist wood of the tree. Or a seed could also drop into a cavatation on the tree and sprout.

In any event Rick, be careful

I agree with the 'no chainsaw' advice. Joseph had the WORST case of PI last year after cutting up a fallen pine with PI hidden under the wisteria :(

I'm apparently not very sensitive to it, and if I do brush into it, I put lime juice and baking soda on it and it dries up and goes away with practically no itching and does not spread.

Good luck!

I'm apparently not too sensitive to it either. I have found that if you make a paste of Dandruff shampoo and salt, scrub with it and wash that it will soon dry up.

Rubbing alcohol will do it. You can even wash them. I had to wash a pair of mine, then also spray them with alcohol. Somehow I got PI inside my glove and broke out between my fingers. ouch.

I agree... never use a chainsaw. Dh cut a tree w/ a thick vine on it and he got a good case. He was wearing gloves and a long sleeve but the oils got him on the wrist where gloves and shirt meet. :grit:

I hire a mexican to do it

When I worked for a utility company, all our guys used the Tecnu products. One was designed as a barrier - I think it rubbed on like a lotion. Then they'd wash later with the Tecnu soap. Dawn works well to cut the oils too. Latex or rubber disposable gloves can help to some degree if you use those to take off the clothing layers and then toss the gloves. If you wash clothing in hot water and a bit of extra detergent it will get out the oils. I am so allergic I break out if I seem to even see it but I've gotten a lot better over the years at recognizing it, taking precautions and cleaning up if I've come near it. Don't be afraid to go to the dr for steroids if you do get it bad. It will save you a great deal of pain and suffering not to mention secondary infections if you get it bad.

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