Grape Vines

Vines in your woods can be fun for the kids to swing on and pretend to be Tarzan, but they are very harmful to the trees.  Wild Grape and Poison Ivy both can be found hanging in trees.

The grape vine bark has a “shreddy” look to it, where the Poison Ivy has hair like roots growing out from the vine that allow it to climb.  The grape vines can’t climb so they must either attach to the young tree in order to grow up with it, or drape over from existing tree.  Both vines need full sunlight to survive. The extra weight of the vines high up in the tree canopy can shear off limbs, distorting the general form, thus reducing quality and value of the trees.

These vines also compete with the trees for valuable sunlight. Control of a grape vine problem is fairly simple and easy.  Just cut the vine with a chainsaw or axe.  In most cases where a tree shade canopy exists, herbicide will not be necessary.  The vines will sprout back, but in time they will wither and die due to lack of full sunlight.

Thankfully, Poison Ivy does not pose as much of an issue to trees as does grape.  It is wise to learn the difference between the two vine types before any cutting treatment begins to avoid the dreadful itch.