Vines up trees? Yes or no poll?

pkponder · 16th May 2009, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeSpecialist

They hold water against the trunk after rain or irrigation and are the perfect hiding place for a variety of insects, rats, and even snakes (I've had rattle snakes come out of vine covered trees here in Texas)

and that's what I'm scared of!

I voted that it depends on the vine, but after reading this I am re-thinking my position

MacMitch · 17th June 2009, 09:02 AM

I voted to remove them all, but if my wife finds out I did it...

Here, North Metro Atlanta, the honeysuckle, poison Ivy...will take over a large portion of the trees if you just let it go. It gets so bad you can't get to some trees or even walk around them. There are so many and so big, I end up hooking them on the front end loader of the tractor and pulling them out of the trees regularly. At least until the wife sees me and starts asking questions about whether or not I am pulling out flowering vines. Lately I have just started asking her to mark the flowering vines so I will know which not to pull out. So far my strategy has bought me some time to pull more out.

metzler · 20th June 2009, 12:36 PM

are there are symbiotic relationships between certain plants and trees? i couldn't see a vine up a tree be anything more than a nuisance, but i guess it could depend on the species, are there exceptions? my mom has a crepe myrtle in her front yard with a honeysucle vine growing up it, iv asked her if she'd like me to liberate the thing from the vines but she says it doesnt bother her or seem to affect the tree's foliage production. it is fairly insignificant overall and they seem to be coexisting fine together (the vine is not aggressively dominating) it seems that without maintenance, it would result in the tree essentially being choked out.

Garry Brockley · 22nd June 2009, 11:55 AM

yes and wait til you have to remove any limbs off it mmm good luck with that, you make the cut and it just sits there or swings away to a place where you need to climb right out on a limb to liberate it from the vines many grasps.

jdog · 22nd June 2009, 11:57 AM

NO!!!! Well maybe, saves on rigging, the vines hold the limbs till ya cut enough to make em drop.

chainsaw charlie · 20th November 2009, 06:01 PM

vines up trees not gd, the amount of trees i have removed because of a climber(mainly english ivy), causes rot in the unions, hides defects, moisture holding around affected areas causes rot over a periiod of time. i call them ivy trees when there almost unregoniasible.

dov · 28th November 2009, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chainsaw charlie

vines up trees not gd, the amount of trees i have removed because of a climber(mainly english ivy), causes rot in the unions, hides defects, moisture holding around affected areas causes rot over a periiod of time. i call them ivy trees when there almost unregoniasible.

I removed some Cabbage Trees a while ago that had Ivy branches coming out 2-3 metres from the trunk. The trunks of the original trees were actually encased with an inch and a half to two inches thick ring of Ivy wood (all around on one tree and less so on the other) at the base where the separate Ivy stems had grafted themselves into each other. Hated that job. Probably took away about a tonne of Ivy at the end. The most memorable part was when I accidentally cut into the side of a European Wasps nest while trying to find where the actual trunk was, twisted my ankle jumping off the ladder and ran up the street with my chainsaw to get away from the winged fiends. So glad it was a rental place and no-one was there to see!

Doing a job at the moment with a couple of young eucs abotu 18-20 metres high with Ivy branching almost 1 metre out from the trunks nearly all the way up. No space to clear fell them, no decent branch crotches to put a rope into. Spurs all the way... Going to take me ages...

djbohn · 26th March 2010, 05:44 AM

hack em out. they'yr leaches. get rid of them them.

treeshaveneeds · 17th June 2010, 01:02 PM

depends on the tree and depends on the vine. Grape vines, get rid of them, they kill all the trees. Vines like virginia creeper, and euonymus that sit on the bar, and cover the lower trunk to perhaps 20-25 feet are acceptable - especially if that is what the client wants

second-gen_monkey · 15th July 2010, 01:14 PM

i've actually seen a homeowner place a few bits of mistletoe in their beautifull willow tree because it was "romantic".
they immediately had me remove it (it had been growing for a little over a year) after i used google image search to show them what it does to trees, especially willow. needless to say the tree was on the receiving end of irreversable damage from the vine and needed to be monitored and properly maintained for a couple years as damaged branches showed the full effect of the vines infestation. (i'm assuming you all know it's a parasitic vine by the way) luckily the tree is still up and this past year showed major improvement over the last year.

second-gen_monkey · 15th July 2010, 01:24 PM

oh, we also get a TON of morning glory, jade and "chinese lanter" also called "stink vine" often purposefully planted to cver fences or trellaces and then "magically" end up in a prized oak, mahogany, florida pine etc and choke them out.

i've witnessed a certain company, whom i wont name (it kinda rhyms with "a sponge"), use a loader truck to litterally rip vines out of trees, often breaking limbs and branches or removing more foliage than can possibly be good for the tree. i've even seen a lawn service pull a tree over trying to remove morning glory with a pickup. it was a ficus (we call em "f**k us" for obvious reasons) so i guess it was for the best.

we (at prestegious) tend to hand remove vine, as much as possible and leave the bits that would be damaging to remove at the time to dry and be recycled by nature. our regular costomers prefer this method once they see "a sponge" rip their neighbors tree to shreds.

JayBird · 26th August 2010, 09:04 AM

Unless they are making wine for me to drink...they're coming down. The last thing i need on the job is another thing. If the tree is my lady the vines are her b*tchy friends.

_______________________
"If you looked as good as i do, you would spend most of your time up in a tree too" - Unknown Arborist

serialtreekiller · 8th October 2010, 10:05 AM

Makes the job twice as hard and brings me to tears yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

GREENEE · 19th November 2010, 04:40 PM

I guess it depends on the vine species

old school · 15th January 2011, 11:06 PM

over all no,but sum vines have a symbiotic relationship with the tree,they give back as they take and viceverce.............

old school · 15th January 2011, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by second-gen_monkey

i've actually seen a homeowner place a few bits of mistletoe in their beautifull willow tree because it was "romantic".
they immediately had me remove it (it had been growing for a little over a year) after i used google image search to show them what it does to trees, especially willow. needless to say the tree was on the receiving end of irreversable damage from the vine and needed to be monitored and properly maintained for a couple years as damaged branches showed the full effect of the vines infestation. (i'm assuming you all know it's a parasitic vine by the way) luckily the tree is still up and this past year showed major improvement over the last year.

hey how are you im in miami also ,good to see somone so close to home,i have a full time job ,but you need help on the weekends ill give you my number

Eric Frei · 16th January 2011, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old school

but sum vines have a symbiotic relationship with the tree,they give back as they take and viceverce.............

Really, explain this because it's a new one to me.

old school · 16th January 2011, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Frei

Really, explain this because it's a new one to me.

from what i understand certain vines root system taps into the cambiem,collecting protien ,carborhydrates,,sugars ,traveling from the trees roots ,threw its trunk,as if the vines are water sprouts,the water sprouts are the steak for the tree,the fake tree guys out there gut out the interier of the tree takin away its most videl nutriunts,sorry cant spell lol,but the same concept for sum vines,but ofcourse dont let it get out of control prune it with every pruning of the tree ,keep it on the trunk and sum co-doms,going into the upper canopy is a no no,vines will climb, and will shade and destroy any tree,,,,,,,,,on the other hand this may be a load of crap eric,as you no the people i associated with ,i was told so much stuff by Gilmen who knows what can be right ,im just voicing my oppinion based on facts or in the processed studies,so if im ever wrong thats good,thats why im kinda on this sight.

Eric Frei · 16th January 2011, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old school

from what i understand certain vines root system taps into the cambiem,collecting protien ,carborhydrates,,sugars ,traveling from the trees roots ,threw its trunk,as if the vines are water sprouts,the water sprouts are the steak for the tree,the fake tree guys out there gut out the interier of the tree takin away its most videl nutriunts,sorry cant spell lol,but the same concept for sum vines,but ofcourse dont let it get out of control prune it with every pruning of the tree ,keep it on the trunk and sum co-doms,going into the upper canopy is a no no,vines will climb, and will shade and destroy any tree,,,,,,,,,on the other hand this may be a load of crap eric,as you no the people i associated with ,i was told so much stuff by Gilmen who knows what can be right ,im just voicing my oppinion based on facts or in the processed studies,so if im ever wrong thats good,thats why im kinda on this sight.

Well, we need to separate opinion from fact to some degree. Does sound like a total load of crap frankly. It is disappointing that you would post a one line sentence not knowing the facts, sure as eggs if I were to post in a thread this long that the vines were "but sum vines have a symbiotic relationship with the tree,they give back as they take and viceverce" (that's what you wrote) I'd have my information and resources handy.

The gutting out of the interior of a tree and ridding water sprouts is known as lions tailing. I'd be wondering why the water sprouts were there for starters, usually a reason meaning something negative is going on or has gone on in the past.

Now saying vines tap into the interior of a tree to feed .... about the only one that does that which I know of is mistletoe which is parasitic and eventually kills the host. If there is a vine which connects to the vascular system of the tree that is truly symbiotic and offers a benefit to the tree I'd like to know it's name because I am unaware of any.

Source and also loaded as PDF

Quote:

Effects of Vines on Trees and Forests

By displaying their leaves above those of the trees that provide them mechanical support, vines are effective competitors for light. Furthermore, because they invest little in thickening their stems and branches, vines can use a large proportion of their resources to produce additional leaves as well as for reproduction. Conversely, trees that are heavily vine-laden grow more slowly and produce fewer seeds and fruits than vine-free trees (Stevens 1987). Due to their generally deleterious effects on trees, forest managers usually advocate the removal of vines, at least those growing on future crop trees (e.g., Putz 1991).

The growth habit of vines also allows them to be effective below-ground competitors for water and nutrients. In experimental studies where vines and trees were allowed to compete in four situations (above-ground, below-ground, both above- and below-ground, and not at all), Dillenberg et al. (1993) found strong vine effects on trees in both domains. One mechanism for this impact was demonstrated in a seasonal forest in Amazonian Bolivia by Diego Perez-Salicrup and Martin Barker (2000). They found that after vines growing on canopy trees were cut, water stress decreased in the trees formerly infested with vines. A decrease could even be detected one day after the cutting.

The discovery that vines are among the deepest-rooted plants in tropical forests (Jackson et al. 1995, Tyree & Ewers 1996) suggests that some vines may avoid competing with trees while avoiding drought stress by tapping deeper stores of water. Other experiments (Putz in prep) have revealed that vines generally colonize nutrient-rich patches of soil much more quickly and with much less investment in root biomass than trees. This versatility in root foraging can be explained as another benefit of vine dependence on other plants for mechanical support; vines have no need for the large diameter structural roots trees use to hold themselves upright.

In addition to competing both above and below-ground, lianas can cause mechanical damage to their host trees. Small twigs and large stems of trees can be mechanically girdled by tendrils and twining stems, respectively. Lianas can also proliferate so much that the branches of their host trees break under their weight. Several light-demanding and dense wooded liana species typically break their host trees, creating canopy gaps in which they proliferate (e.g. Acacia spp. in Central America and Celtis spp. in South America).

On the positive side, it has been suggested that by growing between tree crowns, lianas help stabilize trees (Smith 1973), but the evidence is that liana infested trees actually create larger gaps when they fall. Slash-and-burn farmers are well aware of this phenomenon and generally use heavily liana-laden trees as “king pins” when clearing forests.

Tree species vary in their susceptibility to liana infestations, and in their ability to shed lianas that colonize their crowns (Putz 1984b). Because of limits in the diameter of supports that lianas can use in their ascent to the canopy, fast growing trees tend to avoid liana infestations, especially if they rapidly shed their lower branches. Thick-stemmed palms are particularly immune to lianas, and lianas that do make it into their coronas are shed along with the leaves to which they are attached. By creating large “crown shyness” gaps when they bash into their neighbors in the wind, flexible stemmed trees can escape lianas attempting to grow from crown to crown or shed those that do cross the gap, at least until they become firmly attached.

Smooth bark and bark that is shed in large flakes may also deter lianas to some extent, but given the way that most lianas attach to their supports, this mechanism would not seem to be particularly effective. Some tree species also suffer reduced threats of vine colonization because the symbiotic ants that they harbor and feed keep their host tree free of parasites, including structural parasites such as lianas (Janzen 1969). Due to their vine avoiding and vine shedding characteristics, sometimes including these ant symbionts, pioneer trees are particularly common in severely vine infested areas where slower growing trees are affectively suppressed (Schnitzer et al. 2000).

Herbaceous vines and lianas often play important roles during forest succession after natural and anthropogenic (i.e. human-induced) disturbances (Figure 8; Schnitzer & Carson 2001). Most vines are light demanding (Hegarty & Caballé 1991) and thus benefit from disturbances, which they colonize with dispersed and buried dormant seeds, formerly suppressed seedlings, and rampant vegetative proliferation of vines that fell with the gap-making trees. Some lianas have also been described as growing through the forest understory, essentially “foraging” for canopy gaps and other areas of high light intensities (Peñalosa 1984). Liana proliferation on and near the edges of forests is also one of the major causes of structural deterioration in fragmented forests (Laurance et al. 2001).

old school · 16th January 2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Frei

Well, we need to separate opinion from fact to some degree. Does sound like a total load of crap frankly. It is disappointing that you would post a one line sentence not knowing the facts, sure as eggs if I were to post in a thread this long that the vines were "but sum vines have a symbiotic relationship with the tree,they give back as they take and viceverce" (that's what you wrote) I'd have my information and resources handy.

The gutting out of the interior of a tree and ridding water sprouts is known as lions tailing. I'd be wondering why the water sprouts were there for starters, usually a reason meaning something negative is going on or has gone on in the past.

Now saying vines tap into the interior of a tree to feed .... about the only one that does that which I know of is mistletoe which is parasitic and eventually kills the host. If there is a vine which connects to the vascular system of the tree that is truly symbiotic and offers a benefit to the tree I'd like to know it's name because I am unaware of any.

Source and also loaded as PDF

yes maybe opinion,i get e-mails 3-4 times a year from Gilmen,2 years ago about ,he sent me an artical he wrote on the butifacation off vines on trees and to what exstent of keeping them under control,and how some vines can benafit its host as its host benafit them, but ofcorse the vine wants to take over you keep it under control,not sure but elephant ear i think is one,,,,i wont just post somthing that has no fact base at all,,,,,,and no, lion tailin is cuting the water spouts on your co-domonit leaders,and yes lol im in florida all trees here are in constent stress ,between the hurricains and landscapers they destoy the trees,,,,,,Shigo's famos sayin[a healthy pruned tree is a tree that never been pruned the rest are in stress..]its great that you live in an area where they enforce the pruning laws of subordination,that you and all the tree companys of your fine city are trimming trees correctly where there not pushing out spouts and theres perfect climate and no storms ,just remember trees dont heal,you must think they do,find an artical on healing tree wounds you cant

Eric Frei · 16th January 2011, 01:59 PM

Old School, it's clear you are little more than a troll, good riddance.

james barton · 21st January 2011, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreeCo

Yes, depends on the vine. I live in a house built in 1890 and in the yard we have english ivy up several trees, some quite thick. I cut a one foot section out of the vine stem to kill the vine but it grows back up the tree from the ground. This does not worry me as I will cut it again every few years. Sometimes I will spray the vine on the ground for a whole summer to kill it if I don't want it to grow up the tree again.

I do believe large vines are bad for trees. We have wild muskadines sixty ft. up trees back in the woods. Stems are over one inch in diameter. I've cut hundreds of them off at the ground. I figure it sets them back a bit. The will regrow but it takes a long time and in heavy shade they usually just die.

We have kudzu in a few places too. Now that is a vine from hell!

I hate to think of the tropical vines you guys must deal with. Our low temp was 22F last night.

where i live wild grape vines are a real menace , they can choke a tree to death and jump from tree to tree

second-gen_monkey · 24th January 2011, 05:34 AM

i was looking at some pics from my families vacation in ohio and remembered this thread.

apparently my aunt thought mistletoe was a tree and sent me a pic of her "beautiful mistletoe tree" which i had to, regretfully, inform her was actually a smothered (30 foot) walnut that had one tuft of leaves left that the mistletoe hadn't quite blacked out. now i gotta go all the way up to piqua and help get it down. i'm hoping to remove the nasty parasite and maybe save the tree but i have my doubts.

will post pics in april or may, as it is freezing in ohio now so we gotta wait for descent weather.

ArbTrain · 13th March 2011, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Frei

Some of this could come down to your climate, type of vine etc.

But overall I'm of the opinion that vines up trees are definately off the to do list, they offer little benefit and most often cause problems.

What's your take on it?

http://www.treesatlanta.org/vines.html

Vines suck,, never seen one help a tree but seen many damaged/ killed ,, bouganvillia,, cock-spur,, 2 of gods mistakes ,, and as for the itchy ones like philodendron family,, AAAARGGHH!!! hate that stuff.. and its always on the hottest days when the pores are wide open.. aahh. the joys of climbing

Hard-as-Stihl · 3rd April 2011, 06:17 PM

hawaii has some interesting vines. i have done a few eucs with vines running up them and i have to say they are a pain to climb in and removing vines is worse when they wrapped around the trunk.

vines how ever dont allways need to be removed so long as itis not causing problems with the trees health. there are some really old trees in the wild here with vines growing in them and they are fine.

-Aloha from hawaii, josh-

Semi-Hex · 1st July 2011, 04:53 AM

I see mostly poison oak and honey suckle vines running up trees. I off the poison oak but the honey suckle looks pretty so I leave them.

james barton · 1st July 2011, 07:14 AM

kill em

treeshaveneeds · 1st July 2011, 10:06 AM

I liked your article -- "Effects of Vines on Trees and Forests" Eric.
I am not aware of vines giving any benefit to the tree, except for shading from hot sun on the trunk, and creating a visual distraction for the homeowner, so they might be less likely to want to get rid of a tree, Arguably, many of them have flowers, and may attract pollinators which may help the tree pollinate, but the vine flowers are usually later in the year, and the tree flowers are commonly in the spring (at least in Ontario).
THe only other real benefit I have seen for vines is the early covering of the ground in cutovers, allowing the conservation of water and the moderation of daytime temperatures, thereby allowing other seeds to germinate and repopulate a cut area. Deadly nightshade does this well.
Aggressive vines -- like grape vine -- should be discouraged at all costs. They smother the tree, suck the water and nutrients out, and finally kill the host. I do remember being told that vines can be symbiotic (in school, I think) but I have never found a species that helps the host, unless killing can be considered a benefit.

Gumnut · 18th September 2011, 09:07 PM

Depends on the vine... Part of a vine's job in the rainforest is to open the canopy by eventually bringing down branches & they also provide habitat for wildlife.
Vines should be managed where necessary, just like trees in urban environments.

George Valentine · 27th November 2011, 05:01 PM

Hahahah... here I am, voting and start reading on a thread that is as old as a donkey's ass...!!!

Anyway, the subject is as important today as it was then and the subject did caught my curiosity as I will explain next...!

A few months ago, one of my friends that does some earth-moving work in the Adelaide area, has ask me to meet him at a location in Adelaide, he wanted to show me something...!!!

This friend has got me some wood in the pass and some time ago he needed someone to help him out, to get some trees down before he could reach them with the machinery (too close to fences, sheds and the house). It all started in his own backyard and some nasty trees that he owned/planted but the "wrong species in the wrong place" did apply here more than perfectly so, a barbecue weekend and some chainsaw work got the his problem resolved. I cut the trees, he brings them to me, fair, huh...???

An hour later, I was at this location and when he walked me trough the main gate of a rich mansion's place, I looked ahead and I couldn't believe of the monstrosity I had in front of me. One of the original Red Gums that Adelaide was built around, a long time ago. The problem was, I couldn't identify what that thing was until I got close and my gosh, did I have a surprise...!

The place is now owned by a millionaire that bought the place as is, there is, that tree was already like that. It happens that my friend is a good friend of this guy, and apparently the owner wants it removed all together...!

The only information that I have manage about this Gum was that, some years ago, the tree was condemned due to have died from the invasive vine that in my view) was the reason to the Gum's death and kept sucking the life out of this old Gum, how old...??? you tell me...! Is my believe that, the attempts to kill (poison) that damn vine in the pass have been just too much for the trees root system that got contaminated by it (poison). This is my opinion, I have no solid evidence of that, which in this case is irrelevant...!

The top dried off and limbs starting to fall, reason why the top was cut off. I couldn't find a reason why the full trunk was left there as the vine (whatever it is) what still very lush and alive when they took the top off, and many years after. The pics show that has been a tremendous effort to "disconnect" the vine roots to the rest of the vine,. hoping that it would die but the damn thing is feeding on the tree and is as green as ever, some years now since the vine separation to the roots was achieved.

Nothing seem to kill that nasty stuff and in the process the tree trunk is rotting away badly at the base (only spot where I could reach). That "thing" is now ugly and the new owner has built and covered the area with all sorts of things, including straw screens (I think) to hide that ugly monster but, ain't working and it needs to come down...!

I did not measure anything accurately but I reckon the trunk is at least, 10 meters tall and the tree across should be close to 2 meters, I simply took some pics and left to think about it, as it is a lot a firewood in there...!

I wonder if any of the guys here from the Adelaide area, were involved with the topping of this tree...???

Oh, Oh... the owner wants the trunk cut a normal table hight, as it is what he wants to trunk to be so it has to be perfectly straight, flat, trimmed, sanded and treated for weather perservation...! how's that for a request...???

Anyway, if is a good example of what vines can do/provoke to a tree, this is certainly the best example I have at the moment...! What do you're reckon...???

Cheers
George

View Poll Results: Are vines up trees?
Good and beneficial	0	0%
A problem and should be removed	96	51.61%
Depends on the vine	90	48.39%
Voters: 186. You may not vote on this poll

17th June 2009, 09:02 AM	#122
MacMitch Sappling Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Metro Atlanta Posts: 18	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? I voted to remove them all, but if my wife finds out I did it... Here, North Metro Atlanta, the honeysuckle, poison Ivy...will take over a large portion of the trees if you just let it go. It gets so bad you can't get to some trees or even walk around them. There are so many and so big, I end up hooking them on the front end loader of the tractor and pulling them out of the trees regularly. At least until the wife sees me and starts asking questions about whether or not I am pulling out flowering vines. Lately I have just started asking her to mark the flowering vines so I will know which not to pull out. So far my strategy has bought me some time to pull more out.

20th June 2009, 12:36 PM	#123
metzler Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: eugene oregon Posts: 89	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? are there are symbiotic relationships between certain plants and trees? i couldn't see a vine up a tree be anything more than a nuisance, but i guess it could depend on the species, are there exceptions? my mom has a crepe myrtle in her front yard with a honeysucle vine growing up it, iv asked her if she'd like me to liberate the thing from the vines but she says it doesnt bother her or seem to affect the tree's foliage production. it is fairly insignificant overall and they seem to be coexisting fine together (the vine is not aggressively dominating) it seems that without maintenance, it would result in the tree essentially being choked out.

22nd June 2009, 11:55 AM	#124
Garry Brockley Bayside Tree Care Brisbane Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Brisbane Aus Posts: 1,649	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? yes and wait til you have to remove any limbs off it mmm good luck with that, you make the cut and it just sits there or swings away to a place where you need to climb right out on a limb to liberate it from the vines many grasps. __________________ My business:- Brisbane Bayside Tree Care

22nd June 2009, 11:57 AM	#125
jdog Sappling Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 14	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? NO!!!! Well maybe, saves on rigging, the vines hold the limbs till ya cut enough to make em drop.

20th November 2009, 06:01 PM	#126
chainsaw charlie Sappling Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: carnegie Posts: 22	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? vines up trees not gd, the amount of trees i have removed because of a climber(mainly english ivy), causes rot in the unions, hides defects, moisture holding around affected areas causes rot over a periiod of time. i call them ivy trees when there almost unregoniasible.

26th March 2010, 05:44 AM	#128
djbohn Sappling Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Michigan USA Posts: 38	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? hack em out. they'yr leaches. get rid of them them.

17th June 2010, 01:02 PM	#129
treeshaveneeds Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,399	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? depends on the tree and depends on the vine. Grape vines, get rid of them, they kill all the trees. Vines like virginia creeper, and euonymus that sit on the bar, and cover the lower trunk to perhaps 20-25 feet are acceptable - especially if that is what the client wants

15th July 2010, 01:14 PM	#130
second-gen_monkey Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: miami, fl Posts: 121	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? i've actually seen a homeowner place a few bits of mistletoe in their beautifull willow tree because it was "romantic". they immediately had me remove it (it had been growing for a little over a year) after i used google image search to show them what it does to trees, especially willow. needless to say the tree was on the receiving end of irreversable damage from the vine and needed to be monitored and properly maintained for a couple years as damaged branches showed the full effect of the vines infestation. (i'm assuming you all know it's a parasitic vine by the way) luckily the tree is still up and this past year showed major improvement over the last year.

15th July 2010, 01:24 PM	#131
second-gen_monkey Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: miami, fl Posts: 121	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? oh, we also get a TON of morning glory, jade and "chinese lanter" also called "stink vine" often purposefully planted to cver fences or trellaces and then "magically" end up in a prized oak, mahogany, florida pine etc and choke them out. i've witnessed a certain company, whom i wont name (it kinda rhyms with "a sponge"), use a loader truck to litterally rip vines out of trees, often breaking limbs and branches or removing more foliage than can possibly be good for the tree. i've even seen a lawn service pull a tree over trying to remove morning glory with a pickup. it was a ficus (we call em "f**k us" for obvious reasons) so i guess it was for the best. we (at prestegious) tend to hand remove vine, as much as possible and leave the bits that would be damaging to remove at the time to dry and be recycled by nature. our regular costomers prefer this method once they see "a sponge" rip their neighbors tree to shreds.

26th August 2010, 09:04 AM	#132
JayBird I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Socal Posts: 2	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? Unless they are making wine for me to drink...they're coming down. The last thing i need on the job is another thing. If the tree is my lady the vines are her b*tchy friends. _______________________ "If you looked as good as i do, you would spend most of your time up in a tree too" - Unknown Arborist

8th October 2010, 10:05 AM	#133
serialtreekiller Former Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: brisbane Posts: 49	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? Makes the job twice as hard and brings me to tears yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

19th November 2010, 04:40 PM	#134
GREENEE Sappling Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 24	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? I guess it depends on the vine species

15th January 2011, 11:06 PM	#135
old school Former Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: miami Posts: 23	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? over all no,but sum vines have a symbiotic relationship with the tree,they give back as they take and viceverce.............

16th January 2011, 01:59 PM	#141
Eric Frei Admin - Razor sharp and independent 2 X Diploma Level 5 qualified arborist Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,820	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? Old School, it's clear you are little more than a troll, good riddance. __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

24th January 2011, 05:34 AM	#143
second-gen_monkey Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: miami, fl Posts: 121	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? i was looking at some pics from my families vacation in ohio and remembered this thread. apparently my aunt thought mistletoe was a tree and sent me a pic of her "beautiful mistletoe tree" which i had to, regretfully, inform her was actually a smothered (30 foot) walnut that had one tuft of leaves left that the mistletoe hadn't quite blacked out. now i gotta go all the way up to piqua and help get it down. i'm hoping to remove the nasty parasite and maybe save the tree but i have my doubts. will post pics in april or may, as it is freezing in ohio now so we gotta wait for descent weather. __________________ "I love my job, if you can't fix it, cut it down!"- Heard while watching a certain tree company with big orange trucks work. 6 years exp as a "ground work technician" specializing in "debris removal and placement" 3 years climbing training 1 year diesel mechanics school 22 years doing this --->

3rd April 2011, 06:17 PM	#145
Hard-as-Stihl Mature tree Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: maui, hawaii Posts: 267	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? hawaii has some interesting vines. i have done a few eucs with vines running up them and i have to say they are a pain to climb in and removing vines is worse when they wrapped around the trunk. vines how ever dont allways need to be removed so long as itis not causing problems with the trees health. there are some really old trees in the wild here with vines growing in them and they are fine. -Aloha from hawaii, josh-

1st July 2011, 04:53 AM	#146
Semi-Hex Sappling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Camp Posts: 7	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? I see mostly poison oak and honey suckle vines running up trees. I off the poison oak but the honey suckle looks pretty so I leave them.

1st July 2011, 07:14 AM	#147
james barton Sappling Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: malta, ohio Posts: 19	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? kill em

1st July 2011, 10:06 AM	#148
treeshaveneeds Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,399	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? I liked your article -- "Effects of Vines on Trees and Forests" Eric. I am not aware of vines giving any benefit to the tree, except for shading from hot sun on the trunk, and creating a visual distraction for the homeowner, so they might be less likely to want to get rid of a tree, Arguably, many of them have flowers, and may attract pollinators which may help the tree pollinate, but the vine flowers are usually later in the year, and the tree flowers are commonly in the spring (at least in Ontario). THe only other real benefit I have seen for vines is the early covering of the ground in cutovers, allowing the conservation of water and the moderation of daytime temperatures, thereby allowing other seeds to germinate and repopulate a cut area. Deadly nightshade does this well. Aggressive vines -- like grape vine -- should be discouraged at all costs. They smother the tree, suck the water and nutrients out, and finally kill the host. I do remember being told that vines can be symbiotic (in school, I think) but I have never found a species that helps the host, unless killing can be considered a benefit. __________________ My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports Consulting Forester If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too ! We do great jobs, even in small yards. Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered) Email -- treeshaveneeds@3web.com Cell 416-460-5704

18th September 2011, 09:07 PM	#149
Gumnut I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 4	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? Depends on the vine... Part of a vine's job in the rainforest is to open the canopy by eventually bringing down branches & they also provide habitat for wildlife. Vines should be managed where necessary, just like trees in urban environments.

27th November 2011, 05:01 PM	#150
George Valentine Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Australia - SA Adelaide Hills Posts: 181	Re: Vines up trees? Yes or no poll? Hahahah... here I am, voting and start reading on a thread that is as old as a donkey's ass...!!! Anyway, the subject is as important today as it was then and the subject did caught my curiosity as I will explain next...! A few months ago, one of my friends that does some earth-moving work in the Adelaide area, has ask me to meet him at a location in Adelaide, he wanted to show me something...!!! This friend has got me some wood in the pass and some time ago he needed someone to help him out, to get some trees down before he could reach them with the machinery (too close to fences, sheds and the house). It all started in his own backyard and some nasty trees that he owned/planted but the "wrong species in the wrong place" did apply here more than perfectly so, a barbecue weekend and some chainsaw work got the his problem resolved. I cut the trees, he brings them to me, fair, huh...??? An hour later, I was at this location and when he walked me trough the main gate of a rich mansion's place, I looked ahead and I couldn't believe of the monstrosity I had in front of me. One of the original Red Gums that Adelaide was built around, a long time ago. The problem was, I couldn't identify what that thing was until I got close and my gosh, did I have a surprise...! The place is now owned by a millionaire that bought the place as is, there is, that tree was already like that. It happens that my friend is a good friend of this guy, and apparently the owner wants it removed all together...! The only information that I have manage about this Gum was that, some years ago, the tree was condemned due to have died from the invasive vine that in my view) was the reason to the Gum's death and kept sucking the life out of this old Gum, how old...??? you tell me...! Is my believe that, the attempts to kill (poison) that damn vine in the pass have been just too much for the trees root system that got contaminated by it (poison). This is my opinion, I have no solid evidence of that, which in this case is irrelevant...! The top dried off and limbs starting to fall, reason why the top was cut off. I couldn't find a reason why the full trunk was left there as the vine (whatever it is) what still very lush and alive when they took the top off, and many years after. The pics show that has been a tremendous effort to "disconnect" the vine roots to the rest of the vine,. hoping that it would die but the damn thing is feeding on the tree and is as green as ever, some years now since the vine separation to the roots was achieved. Nothing seem to kill that nasty stuff and in the process the tree trunk is rotting away badly at the base (only spot where I could reach). That "thing" is now ugly and the new owner has built and covered the area with all sorts of things, including straw screens (I think) to hide that ugly monster but, ain't working and it needs to come down...! I did not measure anything accurately but I reckon the trunk is at least, 10 meters tall and the tree across should be close to 2 meters, I simply took some pics and left to think about it, as it is a lot a firewood in there...! I wonder if any of the guys here from the Adelaide area, were involved with the topping of this tree...??? Oh, Oh... the owner wants the trunk cut a normal table hight, as it is what he wants to trunk to be so it has to be perfectly straight, flat, trimmed, sanded and treated for weather perservation...! how's that for a request...??? Anyway, if is a good example of what vines can do/provoke to a tree, this is certainly the best example I have at the moment...! What do you're reckon...??? Cheers George Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Never do to others, what you don't like for yourself...!" Last edited by George Valentine; 27th November 2011 at 06:50 PM.

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