what to do with trees with poison ivy?

[jd6030]

Had a guy give me a good size ash tree that blew down went to go start cutting it up since it was good and frozen and get there and small poison ivy vines from bottom of trunk up into the branches. I usually won't cut any fire wood with any ivy vines on it and figured that is a no no. What do you guys do in this situation seems all the trees lately going down have vines on them just my luck.

 

[mga]

send it to my house.

just wear gloves, rip the stuff off (dont burn it) throw the gloves out and enjoy your wood.

 

[ericjeeper]

are you sure it is IVY?

and not Virginia creeper? Which is harmless.
VC has five leaves. some confuse it with poison oak, which does not grow in Indiana
If it is IVY just wear disposable gloves toss them when finished.Washed your outer clothes.and DO NOT RUB YOUR FACE while cutting.
Pull as much of the vine off as you can before cutting or splitting.

 

[AOD]

I thought poison ivy was pretty dormant in the winter.

I've been in the stuff several times and never had a reaction. But if I get stung by yellowjackets I am in a world of hurt.....

 

[woodchop]

Pull the vines of after the tree is on the ground, would not have firewood if I leave all the trees with vines on them.

 

[rngrchad]

I thought poison ivy was pretty dormant in the winter.

I've been in the stuff several times and never had a reaction. But if I get stung by yellowjackets I am in a world of hurt.....

Same for me AOD. It doesn't bother me in winter. However I get mad poison oak during the summer.

 

[brownie525]

myself i would run away pretty quickly, i get poisin ivy so bad its not even funny i had it so bad one year i could not bend my arms for 2 weeks. I know i have also heard that the oils in poisin ivy can penitrate rubber gloves not sure if its true never wanted to risk it. IF you do mess with it there is a product that you can get the will remove the oils from the skin so you dont brake out i dont remember the name but it really does work ill try and find the name of it.

 

[woodbooga]

Leaves of three,
keep away from me
Leaves of four
Eat some more

I've never gotten a rash in the winter, but that might be because I wear gloves so often.

I remember being a kid and thinking poison ivy was harmless after the leaves fell off. Didn't make that mistake again.

 

[AIM]

Zanfel

 

[thejdman04]

Poison ivy isnt dormant in winter however becuase you wear many layers in winter, unless you wipe your face etc, you dont usually notice it or get it.

 

[Rookie1]

I thought poison ivy was pretty dormant in the winter.

I've been in the stuff several times and never had a reaction. But if I get stung by yellowjackets I am in a world of hurt.....

I thought the sap in the vine is no different than the leaves. But I dont get it so I wouldnt know.

 

[AIM]

Q: How do Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac cause the symptoms associated with it?
A: The itching, redness, and swelling associated with contact with poison ivy is due to the body's response to the oil, urushiol. This oil is by itself somewhat harmless, but the human body responds in such a way as to attack the dermal layer in which the urushiol is bound. This attack upon the dermal layers is what causes the itching, swelling, and redness.

Now if we could just get our bodies to quit fighting it.

 

[myzamboni]

Q: How do Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac cause the symptoms associated with it?
A: The itching, redness, and swelling associated with contact with poison ivy is due to the body's response to the oil, urushiol. This oil is by itself somewhat harmless, but the human body responds in such a way as to attack the dermal layer in which the urushiol is bound. This attack upon the dermal layers is what causes the itching, swelling, and redness.

Now if we could just get our bodies to quit fighting it.

Mine doesn't fight it. I have the good fortune of being immune

 

[ray benson]

If the wood is suspect, I pass. Don't want to take a chance on burning any as the smoke could affect family members.

 

[Hlakegollum]

I get it so bad I could end up in doctor's office. I use a shovel to scrape it off the tree, then roll the logs away from it. Yeah wear gloves, don't touch any skin, etc. Good luck!

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I get it terrible as well and got it real bad last year doing a fencerow. Reached down to pick up a log in February when it was zero degrees out and a freestading sprig went up between my sleeve and arm. washed it with gas right away but still got it bad enough to leave a 1/2 wide scar 3 inches long. My normal way is to tell Dad "That is your tree", as he doesn't get it. When he isn't there I bought a pair of waterproof gloves(kind with heavy poly on them) and use them for ONLY pulling the vine. I try to axe it near the bottom with one swing then pull it from there. "Normally" does the job. DON"T use a saw as now you have little chips of it everywhere waiting to get on your clothes and eqipment.
You guys that don't get it are lucky. I try to get it off the tree before falling if possible. I know that always isn't possible but when it's down it always seems to land on it and you have to saw some. My uncle brought a vine that was 5 inches in diameter and that probably would have killed me! It all comes down to how allergic you are to it.

 

[PA Plumber]

The two worst poison ivy cases I've had in my adult life, have been in the winter.

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a 10 day stint on Prednisone due to PI. :monkey:

The last few times I've cut firewood in poison ivy, I've taken a shower using Dawn dish washing liquid to wash. So far it is working. The Tecnu stuff works well, but is pricey.

 

[John Ellison]

I use a lot of rubbing alcohol to wash off with in the woods if I know or feel like I've been in it. It will cut thru the oil.

 

[Joshlaugh]

I can get poison ivy in the winter as can any person who is actually allergic to it. It seems every time I get it, it gets worse. This summer I had to drop and buck a nice sized white pine for work. The thing was COVERED in PI. I was "extra" careful and thought I was in the clear. But no, the chips from my saw were throwing them down my multiple layers of shirts I was wearing and I had PI all over my chest. Sucked and I actually went to the dr's to get a steroid in my butt. That didn't seem to help either. I think the ivy stuck around for a good 3 weeks. Be careful cutting down a tree with it on it but than I would't say no to a tree just because of the ivy. I would cut and rip it off and than buck and split the tree. Sure would keep me warm the next winter.

 

[cat10ken]

The three leafed poison ivy that grows in Wisconsin only gets about two feet tall and is not a climbing ivy vine at all. The only climbing vines I have come in contact with in 50 years of cutting firewood are a nonpoisonous 5-leaf ivy and wild grapes that grow vines up to 6 inches in diameter. I don't know what poison oak or poison sumac are but don't think they are vines either.
The ones to worry about are the low growing ones about 2 feet tall with lots of little green berries at this time of year although they don't bother me.
Go for it and good luck. Ken