Ivy on trees

[Vinny]

Hello,

I have a few trees in my yard, oaks and pines, that have english ivy climbing up the trunks. Is this OK for the trees?

Thanks in advance, Vin

[Travis]

No.

[Brian]

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivy will do no damage, but many find it unsightly. It takes nothing from the tree~~ only support. It can hide disease but also provides nesting sites. Take your choice!! Best Wishes Brian.

[Lar]

:) > I have a few trees in my yard, oaks and pines, that have english ivy :) > climbing up the trunks. :) > Is this OK for the trees? :) >

:) > Thanks in advance, :) > Vin~~~ :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ :) Ivy will do no damage, but many find it unsightly. It takes nothing :) from the tree~~ only support. It can hide disease but also provides nesting :) sites. Take your choice!! :) Best Wishes Brian. As the ivy grows into the tree it blocks out the sunlight off of the bark, which in turn keeps the activation of dormant buds from happening along with the development of new buds which produce new leaves, which produces photosynthesis...

[paghat]

Here's my article "About Ivy Climbing Trees":

short answer is it is harmless with very few exceptions. Certainly covering the bark has no effect whatsoever on photosynthesis & buds are fed from the roots not from the sun. If ivy could cover the a tree to the dripline hiding the leaves that'd be a problem, but it is not inclined to do that. There are a couple reasons to not keep such ivy, addressed in the "climbing trees" article, the main one being that ivy increases wind resistance & increases blow-down of shallowly rooted trees.

There's also the issue of "invasive vs non-invasive ivy" covered here:

what people have is just nasty, nasty ivy that harms the environment (unless you live where it is truly native & its a proper part of an ecosystem adapted to it). It poisons birds & seeds into nearby woodlands displacing native plantlife. If this is the one climbing the trees: just get rid of it &amp replace it with non-invasive cultivars, which tend to be prettier anyway with great variety.

-paghat the ratgirl

[Starlord]

In a word ... "No".

[Carolyn LeCrone]

[Treedweller]

No, latent buds are stimulated by sunlight. If the ivy is on the trunk--no biggie. Once it starts creeping out on the branches, you get the same effect as "lion-tail" pruning: lots of long, narrow branches with a few leaves at the ends, which break easily, and which have no interior branches to preserve when they do break.

And, as was mentioned, it can provide camouflage for decay/disease and creates a nice, moist microclimate that might harbor spores, insects, or other bad stuff.

Also, some ivy tends to wrap around branches and create a "noose," strangling the branch beyond it.

If you maintain the ivy so it doesn't creep into the upper canopy, you could keep it without much trouble (probably), but the most tree-friendly approach would be to get it out and keep it out.

Keith Babberney ISA Certified Arborist #TX-235AT (who has a tree with Haedra helix growing up to the first couple of layers of branches because his wife likes it that way)

[lurch499]

Lurch writes:

Keith, Just be aware that some thin barked species (e.g. Tilia) may photosynthesize via the cortex under the bark. Also, sudden removal of ivy may cause sunscorch to these thin barked species....

Lurch writes:

Bad stuff? Spores and insects are just as important as trees, are they not? Other wise some good comments about hiding decy/cavities. I spend a lot of time with my x-ray specs on trying to see through the ivy on many trees in high occupancy target areas!

Regards

Lurch

[Treedweller]

In the grand scheme of things, yes. In relation to a specific tree, not necessarily.

k