Advice on Cutting Down Poison Ivy Tree

BirdNut · May 12, 2008

The wind this weekend blew an 18" dia. oak onto my dog kennel. The tree trunk and canopy are covered with poison ivy.

Anyone have any good ideas of how to deal with this without getting covered in ivy juice?

This is not just a little poison ivy, its an arm-thickness vine running all the way up the trunk on about a 60 or 70 foot tree. In terms of leaves, the poison ivy has more foliage than the tree itself.

I've heard of cutting a notch in the vine near the ground and pournig herbicide into the notch to kill the vine.

I need to get the tree off the kennel, but I can wait till the poison ivy dies. I don't think the cracking of the tree trunk impaired the vine at all.

Ta-ton-ka chips · May 12, 2008

Hard to say without seeing it.
Cover yourself up completly and wear gloves and goggles.
Can you cut the vine with a machette and pull it off before you cut the tree?

Take a couple of Benadrils before you do anything and keep taking them for a week after - Good Luck!

DCHunter · May 12, 2008

Cut it about 2-4 feet up the vine and spray the rooted part with herbicide. Then dress from head to toe in throw away clothes. Roll tree away as best you can without cutting it up and roll it into the woods. Take shower and throw away clothes.

ellaville hunter · May 12, 2008

let it dry out before you cut it

Mark Brooks · May 12, 2008

Do Not Burn any of the wood with vines on it!!!!

I had a sister at a HS Pep Rally Fire that inhaled smoke and was hospitalized with poison ivy in her lungs. Poor thing had it rough for a couple of weeks!!

I like the idea of dragging that tree off into the woods as it is!!!

MB

BPR · May 12, 2008

Get some Tecnu. Its a soap that removes the poison ivy oils from your skin. Works to help releive it, but I also use it anytime that I think I may have been exposed. Once you do finally deal with it, make sure and use this.

As for the ivy, I knocked a large vine like has been discussed and it killed it. That tree was however still upright and I wasn't concerned with how long it took to kill it. I don't remember how long it took. I just know that it is gone now.

Unicoidawg · May 12, 2008

Call someone else and let them do it............. :bounce:

Stuff tears me up................. :banginghe

SHMELTON · May 12, 2008

I did a report on posion ivy in a chemistry class once, during my research I found out that the oils could stay on tools and such for years after contact. So clean em good or throught them away. It would be horrible to get posion ivy on you every time you touched the dog kennel so clean it up good too.

dawg2 · May 12, 2008

SHMELTONS_BOYS said:
I did a report on posion ivy in a chemistry class once, during my research I found out that the oils could stay on tools and such for years after contact. So clean em good or throught them away. It would be horrible to get posion ivy on you every time you touched the dog kennel so clean it up good too.

And on your clothes after washing them too.

gcaskew · May 12, 2008

Pay someone

I have tried all the above mentioned ways and the best is to call a tree removal service and pay to have it carted off..

It tears me up too bad to try and do it myself.. Not worth the money to be eaten up with PI..

Vernon Holt · May 12, 2008

If time is not a serious factor, simply sever the vine with an axe or bush axe. Stand on the upwind side of the cut while making it. The toxic oils of Poison Ivy are highly volatile and will vaporize immediately upon making the cut. Exposure to even the vapor will infect you with the rash.

It would be wise to treat the Poison Ivy stub with herbicide (50% solution of Roundup and water).

Simply leave the tree in place for several weeks, or until the newly established leaves are dried and begin to fall off. Once the oils contained on and in the leaves has had an opportunity to dry, the volatility of the toxic agent is drastically reduced.

There will be no long term effect on your tool blade. Just be careful and do not touch the blade for a few hours.

If you have a tractor or ATV you can fasten a chain around the dried vine and snatch it off the tree. You might have to cut it in segments, especially if it grows around the tree.

Your alternative is to secure a tree removal contractor and be prepared to part with a few hundred bucks.

UPHUNTER · May 12, 2008

gcaskew said:
I have tried all the above mentioned ways and the best is to call a tree removal service and pay to have it carted off..

It tears me up too bad to try and do it myself.. Not worth the money to be eaten up with PI..

second that

Havana Dude · May 12, 2008

be careful. Dead poison ivy will still get you. the oils stay around a long time. I'm one who never calls out for help to do stuff like this, but in this case, I like the idea of hiring it out. Not worth the misery to me.

merc123 · May 12, 2008

I'm apparently not allergic to it, I'll come cut it up

Havana Dude · May 12, 2008

merc123 said:
I'm apparently not allergic to it, I'll come cut it up

We want pics a couple days after your done.

I don't think I am either, been all in it before, but to me it ain't worth chancin it.

dslary · May 12, 2008

Run far away

Those other folks are absolutely dead on. That stuff stays around long after it is dead. Call someone and have it removed! It isn't worth all the scratching or a trip to the doctor. Even after it's gone, avoid the area for a while and as someone said, DO NOT BURN THE VINES! My dad nearly died when I was 7 from just that.

JKG · May 13, 2008

merc123 said:
I'm apparently not allergic to it, I'll come cut it up

Knock on wood but I have never had it get me either, been in the woods all my life and pulled and cut all sorts of vines and trees that I am sure were covered in it.....That brings up another question, I wonder why it affects some and not others :huh:

fatboy84 · May 13, 2008

Unicoidawg said:
Call someone else and let them do it.............

Stuff tears me up.................

That'ts what I was thinking...Be money well spent.

John2 · May 13, 2008

Have your insurance company pay somebody to remove it for you. The dog kennel should be covered under other structures portion of your homeowners policy.

BirdNut · May 13, 2008

Thanks to all for your responses-I am leaning towards getting someone else to do it.

I was curious what loggers do when they run across one in the woods...certainly they don't just leave it.

Advice on Cutting Down Poison Ivy Tree

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