Firewood and Poison Ivy

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Levi of the North

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Ontario, Canada
Hey all,

I've got a tortuous situation out in the woodlot. Big ol' dead ash tree is just waiting for me to bring 'er down, but it has a poison ivy vine that's crawled about 4' up the trunk.

I'm horribly sensitive to poison ivy. direct contact with leaves/vines gives me massive raw blisters, and contact through clothes will still leave me with a 2-week rash.

Any ideas as to how I can purify this thing so I can fell and buck it? Also: share poison ivy firewood stories.
 
It never used to bother me but a few years ago I got a few spots then a month later a few more spots. Every time I get it now it gets worse. I avoid it as much as I can now. My wife gets it on her arms from putting my clothes in the washing machine. She gets it very bad. There is poison ivy in sections of the bush that I regularly cut in. I leave those section until lots of snow cover and those logs go into the pile to be split and sold. I would suggest the same to you, cut it down in the snow and maybe leave the bottom 6' in the bush. The oil stay around forever.
 
I'm horribly sensitive to poison ivy. direct contact with leaves/vines gives me massive raw blisters, and contact through clothes will still leave me with a 2-week rash.
Might need to have someone else drop it, strip the vines and bark, and move the rounds a safe distance for you.

Philbert
 
Poison ivy has never bothered me in the winter when its dormant. Other times of year I'm very sensitive to it. I cut it and peel it off now and I'm good. Others may be different....

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I got into that crap the other week while cutting. Was itchy for about a week. I thought it would be knida dorment by now but guess not.

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Philbert has it right. If you're sensitive to PI, there's no way you'll handle this and get away unscathed. Let someone else fell it and take the wood from the lower end.

Fact is, if the vine exists on the lower part of the tree it might have previously inhabited the entire top--could have left oil all over that thing. The damn stuff is known to have staying power. Giving away the wood from that tree could be your safest strategy.

If the vine never got above the first few feet, however, you'd probably be safe handling the rest of the tree.
 
Philbert has it right. If you're sensitive to PI, there's no way you'll handle this and get away unscathed. Let someone else fell it and take the wood from the lower end.

Fact is, if the vine exists on the lower part of the tree it might have previously inhabited the entire top--could have left oil all over that thing. The damn stuff is known to have staying power. Giving away the wood from that tree could be your safest strategy.

If the vine never got above the first few feet, however, you'd probably be safe handling the rest of the tree.
Agreed. I've gotten PI in the middle of winter from already cut/seasoned firewood.
 
Here is what I do.

Springtime - Cut the vine base with loppers and use a toothbrush to apply straight Roundup to the wound.
Wearing rubber gloves etc.
Wash loppers with Dawn dish soap.

Late winter, pull vine off and cut tree.
The vine is usually dried up and crumbly.
 
I use a axe to cut the vine use a long handle scraper to scrap the vine away from the tree.
Put on nitrtate gloves and some work gloves over that. Saw the tree down being carefull not to get any wood chips on my pants ( i have given thought to a HD trivec painters suit.). Block it up again try ont to get chips on the pants. Use that same long handled scraper to remove the bark use a pickaroon to move the blocks off the bark.
137028.jpg


Might try some barriar cream.
Barrer-Cream.jpg


:D Al
 
I don't get it terrible but get it.

When I'm forced to get around poison I rub down with coconut oil and hop in shower immediately after done.

My biggest nemesis year in and year out is chiggers, they must love tequila.
 
Poison ivy has never bothered me in the winter when its dormant. Other times of year I'm very sensitive to it. I cut it and peel it off now and I'm good. Others may be different....

Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

Same with me. Ill get it in the summer. But i just got 2 truck loads of black locust at thanksgiving and it had poison ivy vines all over it. I put gloves on and ripped them off as i loaded.

All good.

In your case. Even ifSomeone else does the work for you you could possibly still get it through your respiratory system as you’re burning it in your stove.

So if you’re extremely sensitive to it to the point where you need steroids or something then I will just leave it alone....forever.




Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]
 
I'm real sensitive to it as well. Got it really bad last winter. Was drinking beer while cuttin up a tree that was covered in it. Frequent bathroom breaks thanks to the beer. Needless to say, I had it covered in places you really don't want it.
 
I think the best thing would be prep as best you can for the work. Then perform it quickly. Try not to sweat if possible. Layer up to protect arms, legs, face and hands. Don’t touch your face! Once finished I drop everything and run inside (take clothes off outside) to take a cool shower and wash about three or four times with dawn dish soap. Make sure you scrub every part of yourself and rinse well. Once finished there I double or triple layer some rubber gloves and grab a bunch of paper towels and rubbing alcohol. Clean the tools including saw with rubbing alcohol and hose down with water. Try to get as many crevices clean as you can. I find when I have to work in the poison oak if I do it this way I come away with only minor irritations. Rather than full body itchiness and discomfort. I used to get it something terrible. Now I feel like my body is getting more used to it and I’m doing a lot more prevention so I don’t get it as often. If you do catch a case of poison oak or ivy. I find extremely hot water(as hot as you can stand it) on the infected area will work wonders. It makes it itch very badly for a short period while you are running the water over it. But after it will not make it itch for hours. Also it helps dry out the bubbles and bumps to make it heal faster. That’s just my 2 cents though.
 
Cut the vine at the base with a machete or axe. Remove the rest of the vine with a pickaroon or rake. Clean those tools with gasoline or alcohol and a rag. Throw the rag away.

Fall and buck the tree in the cold of winter when you are wearing gloves and thick clothes. Roll the rounds away from the stump so when the vine comes back it can’t climb them . Leave any part of the tree that had ivy lay for a year to give the elements a chance to neutralize any ivy oil that managed to stay on the tree.
 
Cut the vine at the base with a machete or axe. Remove the rest of the vine with a pickaroon or rake.

Fall and buck the tree in the cold of winter when you are wearing gloves and thick clothes. Roll the rounds away from the stump so when the vine comes back it can’t climb them . Leave any part of the tree that had ivy lay for a year to give the elements a chance to neutralize any ivy oil that managed to stay on the tree.

Ditto
 

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