what do you do about poison ivy vines?

[aaronmach1]

Ive got some trees standing dead for 3 or 4 years now in our woods and i really want them for firewood. They are huge elms. The problem is they have some poison ivy vines, and i really get poison ivy rash easy. Anything you guys do? cut the vines and get the trees next year?

 

[timbrjackrussel]

Roundup in the summer, pull the vines off in a year or two, carefully.

 

[Guido Salvage]

This topic comes up fairly often. We just had one back in the summer that provided some great info on the oil in the plant. Do a search of this site and you will get all the info you want. Contrary to what you may have heard or read, the oil remains potent for a long time.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Are you sure it's poison ivy?

Are you sure it's Poison Ivy?

 

[dingeryote]

Use a rake, and one of those three pronged garden things and peel the vines off.

Wear gloves with elastic cuffs over the sleeves, tape or rubber band the trouser cuffs, button the top button on the coat, and go at it.

Just remember to keep your hand off your face period and avoid the chips while cutting best you can.
If you split it and stack it for a year, it wont be as bad later, but make a mental note about those rounds because it will still cause a reaction to a reduced degree.

Decon the tools with Starting fluid, Brake clean, or LOTS of simple green/purple power.
The crud will hang out for months and get you several times if you don't.

When done, strip in the garage and drop everything into a bucket of simple green and water mixed to soak, and go decontaminate yourself with dish soap in the shower. Scrub untill you worry about thinning out your skin.

Wash the cutting clothes twice after soaking for a day, and then run a empty cycle on the washer to keep from cross contaminating other clothes.

At that point you wait for the funny little bumps to start showing up.
Tecnu works pretty good, but I get better relief from the grey market stuff from the local Mexican store.

LOL!!
It's pruning season. I have had the crud for a week and will untill late march.
I HATE the crap!

Best of luck to ya, and I hope you manage to avoid the crap!

Stay safe!
Dinger

 

[Sagetown]

Round-Up or one of its generic brands will do the trick.
timbrjackrullel may have a handle on the timing, but anytime weather permits growth I'd think the application would work.
I'm alergic to that stuff big time.

 

[hardpan]

Keep in mind it is very patient, that is if you get it on something (tools, clothing, etc.) it will wait until you touch that item again much later and you'll have it again and wonder where it came from.

 

[haveawoody]

This is a handy tip i got from an old timer for poison ivy.

Mix a bucket of water and add salt to 50% to it and mix well.
Find the base of the poison ivy and pour a cup of salty water on that location, try to pick weather that is rainless for a day or two.

Go away for a week and when you return the ivy is real dead and the salt reacts with the oil in the ivy to much reduce it's effects.

Still wear gloves, dust mask and protective clothing and use common sense about cleanup during and after cutting of the tree and removal of the vines.

Don't spend 5 minutes salting the ivy near the tree and forget that the tree will fall somewhere, probably in a pit of ivy.
So use the salty water on all ivy you find in the drop radius.

 

[SPDRMNKY]

do a search...good info in other threads

cut the vine at the bottom...kill the root with stiff glyphosphate...wait a couple years

maybe when the bark comes off the tree, the vines will fall too...maybe you're luckier than me?

or just be careful and take the beatin'...get you some jewelweed!!

 

[Whitespider]

i really get poison ivy rash easy.

your screwed

 

[Peacock]

I cut the vines every few feet after I've dropped the tree. Then the rest falls off on it's own while I skid it behind the Kubota.

 

[morewood]

Ive got some trees standing dead for 3 or 4 years now in our woods and i really want them for firewood. They are huge elms. The problem is they have some poison ivy vines, and i really get poison ivy rash easy. Anything you guys do? cut the vines and get the trees next year?

I see that you didn't say NEED, walk away. The oil is potent long afterwards. The only sure fire way to keep off the Prednisone is to no touchy the itchy stuff.

Shea

 

[jrider]

I see that you didn't say NEED, walk away. The oil is potent long afterwards. The only sure fire way to keep off the Prednisone is to no touchy the itchy stuff.

Shea

If you get it bad...I fully agree with this post! I get it bad, so its never an option for me. Ended up in the hospital one time as my mouth, nose, and airways swelled too much for comfort. Hit a vine (even its dead) with a chainsaw and its like throwing gasoline on a fire for some.

 

[Woodomaker]

Stuff doesnt bother me....but besides what is mentioned here....I would suggest protecting your lungs....my mother-in-law could get it from smoke out of a fire.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I get it at the drop of a hat as well. Luckily my cutting partner is immune so I just say, "Your tree." This is one reason I wait till it's cold out so I have a couple layers of clothes to help out.

I have an old hoe handle that the spade broke off and there is just a hook left. In a pinch I'll pull them off with that and NEVER touch the end. Normally leave it out where we are cutting.

I got it again in December. Dad wanted to clean up a ditch bank and there were a bunch with PI. I made the mistake of being downwind as there was a strong wind and the tiny sawdust made it's way to my face and the open spots on my insulated flannel shirt. I knew I was screwed as that night my arm itched but didn't believe I had any as I never touched or sawed anything with it. We didn't move any wood or brush and I never touched his saws so the dust is the only explanation.

I got some of the Tecnu as a gift and have been using it with good results. As others said, wash your clothes and self hard when you know you've been in it. I use Lava soap and scrub hard on the skin. It's an oil so a good degreaser with Lava is what I do.

You guys that don't get are EXTREMELY lucky!

 

[Chris-PA]

No one is totally immune - I am not sensitive, but I do get it. Spent two days cutting ash trees covered with it and burning the old stuff this summer, and was quite uncomfortable for a week or more after. Got it systemically from the smoke I suspect. I deserved it. Anyway, I use an axe to cut the vines off in the winter time, it creates much less chips and they don't blow all over you. But of course they're still there.....

I've read that the irritant is still active for a long time, but there's no doubt in my mind that old dead vines are less of a problem then fresh juicy ones.

Oh, and I second the jewelweed. And wash when you know you've gotten into it.

 

[dingeryote]

No one is totally immune - I am not sensitive, but I do get it. Spent two days cutting ash trees covered with it and burning the old stuff this summer, and was quite uncomfortable for a week or more after. Got it systemically from the smoke I suspect. I deserved it. Anyway, I use an axe to cut the vines off in the winter time, it creates much less chips and they don't blow all over you. But of course they're still there.....

I've read that the irritant is still active for a long time, but there's no doubt in my mind that old dead vines are less of a problem then fresh juicy ones.

Oh, and I second the jewelweed. And wash when you know you've gotten into it.

Woodheat,

Those old dried out vines actually have the urishoil concentrated in them and on them, as well as those hairs that cling to the bark.
If the cut rounds are allowed to dry and slip the bark, all that can be avoided...most times.

Dried PI leaves in the fall are the worst, because of the concentration, and is one of the resons I prefer to wait untill there is a good snow cover, to get busy pulling the vines out of the bushes. One of the worst cases I ever got, was from rooting around under the bushes repairing drip lines, and I never even fussed with the vines LOL!!! Gawd I hate the stuff!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[lone wolf]

Just stay away from that stuff bud or you will wish you did!:msp_w00t:

 

[Nuzzy]

Obtain a friend who's not so allergic.




(So far in my circle, I'm that friend. Keeping my fingers crossed I can stay that friend for a while longer!)