Can you spot the poison ivy?

[Mkarlson]

The farmers whos ground I cut on told me about a blown over cherry tree back on a old fence line. We had been talking bout the explosion of poison ivy this year and he said that he didnt see any ivy on this particular tree. I was looking for some worry free cutting so I went to check it out. Now I don't or at least have never had poison Ivy, but have taken it home to my wife numerous times. Looking at the tree there were a bunch of old vines that looked like poison ivy and couple other live vines that werent. Didn't see the obvious sign ,three leaves, so I dug in. After pulling the tree out of the weeds I found one set of leaves at base of tree, but it was too late I just started cutting figured I'd pull it off before loading it up. Coincidently I just happen to develope couple blisters on the inside of my elbow. Nothing bad but I'm almost certain of what it is. Now instead of worrying about just taking it home to the wife now I have to worry about getting it myself as well. Anyone have any experience with old dried up ivy vines? Are they more potent by any chance? The bigger of the vines were 3 inches or so, also the one that had the one set of leaves on it .

Yes thats a stock 359 with over sized 24" bar. Its a great saw and have no complaints, but do believe an eighteen inch bar would be better match.

 

[Wood Doctor]

This tree was infested with poison ivy. You now have a few lesions, and you are lucky it was not worse, so you dodged the bullet. It can spread to your wife and to others from you. This stuff is really mean. People have been hospitalized from it. Poison ivy can attack year round, leaves or no leaves.

If you burn the vines and inhale the smoke, it can attack your lungs. :censored:

 

[Wife'nHubby]

If you burn the vines and inhale the smoke, it can attack your lungs. :censored:

So true! My uncle was Fire Marshall in a rural area. He got so sensitized to poison ivy he did end up with it in his lungs when poison ivy burned at a barn fire. He was sick as a dog for a long time.

Shari

 

[forestryworks]

that makes me itch - wait, i am itching

i happened to fall twice today... once in poison ivy and another in poison sumac... it's been one of those crappy days

 

[abohac]

I've had poison ivy so many times I can't count them all. And yes that is without question poison ivy. I get it in the winter about as quick as I do in the summer. I statred a thread with some remedies a while back (I cut a lot this summer) and all I got was old wives tales. I did try wiping my hands, face and arms with rubbing alcohol evry tank of fuel and that seemed to help (my theory was to break down the oil). I also took a shower after cutting with dawn dish soap. That also seemed to help. Anyway, I'd left that tree standing right where it was.

 

[Laird]

Also be sure to wash you hands BEFORE you tale a leak.......talk about misery..........

 

[Wood Doctor]

Also be sure to wash you hands BEFORE you take a leak... talk about misery...

Nothing is worse than that. BTDT. Except for one other thing--poison ivy will not only attack all of a man's private parts, it will also also spread inside of a woman's vagina. The books don't tell you about that. :censored:

 

[Bowtie]

Man I feel for you. That tree has BIG OLD poison Ivy vines grown up around it. I have read studies that say that poison ivy remains just likely to affect a person after 100 years of non growth, (dead plant) as a live, growing plant. I never used to have any reaction to it, but when I bought my 441, I had to run into the timber and try it out. I knocked down a big ole hackberry that had it all over it, and paid the price for a month. That tree is still laying there in pieces. I told the land owner why I didnt finish my work, and he said no problem, I will burn that damn thing up in a pile.

 

[Mkarlson]

When i was younger I never worried about it. Just moticed everyone around me would get it but I didnt. So when it came to firewood or anything I would just jump right in. Then I got married. The first time I gave it to my wife we were camping and our spot had poison ivy on every tree. I spent an hour pulling the stuff by hand so the kids wouldnt get it. I washed up but....can you guess which spots my wife got it. Yep all her mommy parts. Least she could hide it, except for the itching :jawdrop:

Just thought it was funny the guy told me there was no poison ivy on this tree. When actually something had killed all the leaves off and all that was left was the massive vines. I cant avoid cutting around this stuff either. Everything is covered with it this year. Guess its that global warming again.

 

[troy3300]

Yes don't inhale the smoke from burning it. I am one of the lucky ones that does not react to it but I also am a Boy Scout leader and have to deal with it alot. My suggestion is to get a bottle of Simple Green and wash your hands with it. Also spray your shoes and laces with it. The simple green breaks down the oils in the ivy that cause the reaction.

 

[jdboy9]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed the stuff growing at alarming rates!! I was hogging the field and I happen to notice how thick and tall it was growing. Usually it is about ankle high in the field but this year it was half way to my knee... Go figure maybe its terrorists.

 

[Mkarlson]

I first noticed it couple monthes ago. Was cutting in a fence line i've been thinning for last couple years and saw few vines on the tree I was about to fall. Cut the base of vines and pulled off by hand. Then while bucking the tree I was getting really annoyed by the multifloral rose and all the "weeds" around me when I noticed I was actually standing in waist deep poison Ivy. I finished that job without touching any part of my body that wasnt clothed, cause of course I didnt have any gloves on me.

 

[Scootermsp]

Poison Ivy

There is one product that works like a charm, ZANFEL. The problem is it is expensive ($39.00 for 1oz tube). I found the RiteAid knockoff for $26. You simply wet the affected area with water and rub the Zanfel on the area for about 2 minutes. It pulls the oil from your skin that is bonded in. Usually once is enough. It will stop itching right away and will be about 50% gone in a couple hours. I swear by the stuff. Check out their website, it does not exagerate. It's nice when a product works as advertised.

 

[Mkarlson]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed the stuff growing at alarming rates!! I was hogging the field and I happen to notice how thick and tall it was growing. Usually it is about ankle high in the field but this year it was half way to my knee... Go figure maybe its terrorists.

Could you imagine terrorist extracting the oil or concentrating it somehow and rubbing it on door handles of public places.....like bathrooms ahh the panics it would cause

 

[superfire]

yuck

man your nuty to even try cutting that :censored: krup . i know what thaat krup iz. fell one tree several yearz ago and it landed in a field of poisin oak and poisin sumac, let justsay the i ran and jump but naked in the nearest mud hole and wallered like a pig for several hours. i currently have breathing problems due to putting out a forest fire with that krup in it. here is something that may help
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=35401&catID=141.
a old logger i knew used to make poisin oak tea and never had any reaction to the stuff, just the thought of self inflicted pain is sickening

 

[timbrjackrussel]

Very Toxic

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Check out http://nac.tamu.edu/x075bb/caddo/poison.html One ounce of urushiol could cause a rash on everyone on earth!!

 

[adamc]

Hi all,

I had trees down on my property that looked like that, except with live, healthy bushy poison ivy. I got an old pair of work gloves, an old long sleeved shirt and a flat bar and stripped it all off. When I was done, I threw the gloves and shirt away and showered. I am fairly sensitive to poison ivy and I only got a couple of blisters from doing this and I gained a half cord of fire wood.

I wouldn't do this on a regular basis or else the cost of gloves and shirts might start adding up! However, I had to get this tree cleaned up one way or the other and I heat my house with wood.

In the past, I have sawed through poison ivy vines and got horrible eruptions where the sap sprayed. Be careful with this stuff! I can be more than an uncomfortable inconvenience.

Adam

 

[Laird]

Just as a FYI, Roundup by itself will not touch the stuff, or will just make it turn yellow for awhile. But if you add some dishsoap to the mix it will kill as well as it kills anything. The leaves have an oily film on them that protects it. The soap breaks that up so the herbicide can get in. Doe not help much with the problem of the dead vines........but I will kill it around my place anytime I get the chance and then let it rot till it falls off the tree.

 

[Farmall Guy]

I'll have to remember that on the dish soap, I have 21 acers of woods and 20 of that is coverd with poison ivy :jawdrop:

I dont seem to get it but I did end up with a couple of small blisters on my arm this summer. I heasetate to say it was poison ivy though because I was working on a fork truck at work that was covered in a coolant substance from one of the mills that causes a simmilar reaction if you get it on your skin, so I'm not sure what it was. I do try to stay away from it though, no sense in taking chances.

 

[Zackman1801]

i absolutely hate the stuff. i can get near it and start itching. every summer i get it for a few months, i get it once, then it goes away and comes back a few weeks later, and keeps coming back. usually i need to take some nasty steroids to get rid of it.