Big winds last night got this old silver maple up front. Not a big deal to clean up, but are the vines poison? Will make good wood for the wife's fire pit.
Yup thats poison ivy. Machete it off then buck is my usual MO. I get it mild on my arms and am careful around it. Nice stuff for her, dead and ready to burn. "leaves of three, let it be" is the old saying.
Be careful with this in open fire pit. Smoke from poison ivy sap can be transmitted thru smoke and inhaled.
Not fond of it myself, but comes with the hoarding territory. The "furry" vines that grips the trunk are another give away. PITA to get off at times.
I personally wouldnt burn it, but have in a stove or enclosed burner. Never knew the smoke from burning it can be toxic so i wont anymore either dried or fresh.
What are symptoms of breathing smoke from burned poison ivy? I've never experienced this, just had old timers tell me not to burn poison ivy. If you take the time to remove the bark and let the wood weather, it might not have enough oil left on the wood to be toxic. For that little bit of silver maple, it's not worth the risk.
I've pulled poison ivy vines off a log/tree with long pliers, but even then put that log to the side for months to give plenty of time for the plant oils to "dry up" . The sap is in all parts of the plant so all parts of the plant have to be avoided by anyone sensitive to urushiol. It can supposedly persist on your clothes for months if not washed well as soon as possible. Getting it off your skin with soap and even rubbing alcohol ASAP can be effective as well. Can you drag the tree to the side out of the way until, say, next Winter ?
I get a lot of wood with big poison ivy vines on it. By the time its cut, split, stacked and seasoned, most of it falls away. Cut some cherry this morning with 1” poison ivy vine on it. Headed out after my lunch break to split it if this couch lets me go.
Leaves of three let it be!! That’s what I was taught. I wouldn’t burn that wood unless you get the vines off of it.
I wouldn't touch the stuff with a 100' pole. Got it so bad once I couldn't bend my fingers or drive for about a week. A year later I put on a pair of leather gloves not knowing they were the ones I had worn in the first encounter and got it again. I'm afraid of the stuff!!!
That vine gets me itchy. The little site you get from it is also poisonous, so when you itch it spreads and keeps spreading. The oil can remain on gloves and clothes, getting you again later! I think they call it Virginia creeper.
Leaves of three let it be!! That’s what I was taught. Virginia creeper usually has 5 leaves where poison ivy has three leaves, so I have been told.
Yep, Virginia creeper has 5 leaves and most people aren’t allergic to it I was taught to treat it like PI cause where there’s one there’s the other.
It can be put to the side. I thought about just pulling aside to rot. Plenty of wood to be had to risk the itch.
