Free wood from CL -nightmare or dream?

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I used to be that way...the key word is used...had siblings who got it really easily, I could play in it, never bothered to learn to identify it really....until I got a bit older and my immune system said "enough nonsense" and got even with me...now I get open running sores that stay for weeks..awful stuff, and I am really careful. Don't burn it, don't cut it, if you are really allergic get someone else to remove it. It isn't worth the grief.

My dad is the same story. For 63 years he never got poison ivy once. When I bought my place I put him to work cutting poison ivy vines on some of the yard trees and pulling it in the flower beds. Two days later he announced that he had his first ever case of PI.
 
Lookin at that pic, I don't believe it to be poison ivy but its only one picture, so I cant make that determination for ya. If you have a wrist sized vine, it should be more-or-less "velcroed" onto the tree very heavily. Here's the problem......if it intact IS poison ivy, and you don't get ALL of that "hair"off of the tree, you will have very bad smoke when you burn that wood. Even that hair contains urushoil (I the "poison" in poison ivy) and if you breath that smoke, your gonna have some really big problems........so if you use that wood, make sure you get ALL TRACES of that crap off of it......
 
I think there is good medical evidence that people become more sensitive to Poison Ivy with repeated exposure. That is, some people may not react to Poison ivy at first, but if you keep getting exposed eventually you'll get the rash.
 
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The way the leaves at the base lobe back towards the stem makes me think its not PI.
I have vines around my property with "leaves of 3" that aren't PI, but not sure of actual name.
 
I think there is good medical evidence that people become more sensitive to Poison Ivy with repeated exposure. That is, some people may not react to Poison ivy at first, but if you keep getting exposed eventually you'll get the rash.
I very well may be living proof, never had a problem when I was younger and I spent most of my summers in PI infested areas working outside. Usually with a weed-wacker. Now I'd say I'm moderately sensitive to it, rash is certain, and itchy for about a week after exposure.
 
Here is a pic of the hairy vine. Should I list it for free on CL?
pi-vine-jpg.77172
 
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Lookin at that pic, I don't believe it to be poison ivy but its only one picture, so I cant make that determination for ya. If you have a wrist sized vine, it should be more-or-less "velcroed" onto the tree very heavily. Here's the problem......if it intact IS poison ivy, and you don't get ALL of that "hair"off of the tree, you will have very bad smoke when you burn that wood. Even that hair contains urushoil (I the "poison" in poison ivy) and if you breath that smoke, your gonna have some really big problems........so if you use that wood, make sure you get ALL TRACES of that crap off of it......

Scotty, we burn some every year but not in big quantities. No problems.
 
Scotty, we burn some every year but not in big quantities. No problems.
I know my one buddy is severly allergic to it. He'd be in the doghouse if he breathed any of that smoke. I guess alot of it depends on your body's sensitivity to it. I had my first small outbreak of it this summer when we did those big dead oaks at the one jobsite....vines every bit as big as the OP's. He had to have two steroid shots for it, I only got a few "pea sized" bumps on my arm, with very little itching.....
 
I worked for a tree company for a summer when I was a kid. We used to wet a bar of brown soap, rub it over our arms and face if desired. When done with the ivy we would just hose off and be good.
 
Scotty, we burn some every year but not in big quantities. No problems.

I wonder if the secondary combustion abilities of our stoves (whether they be cat or non-cat) incinerates the urishiol oils in the ivy? Hence making it ok to burn wood with traces of PI vine left on it?
 
IMO after 12 months of seasoning, this norway maple will probably be missing most of its bark. Any bark that is left and has PI remnants has to be dried out by then.
 
IMO after 12 months of seasoning, this norway maple will probably be missing most of its bark. Any bark that is left and has PI remnants has to be dried out by then.
The PI oils can hang around for years after the vine dies. Miserable plant.
 
I've been cutting a bunch of dead cherry with poison ivy on the trees and on the ground. I would love for someone to drop the trees off on my yard.

Just wear long sleeves and gloves and shower after you are done. If you get poison call your doctor and asked for prednisone great cure for itching rash.

I get poison every year and count it as part of the cost. To me it's worth it but if it isn't to you I bet you can find someone to take it.
 
I'm alergic to it.
But I handled it many times. No need to panic. It's not "Agent orange". No "Bio hazard suit" needed.

Relax;
Just wear some gloves & long sleeves, don't splatter it. Remove the vine carefully.
Throw the gloves away, wash the clothes you were wearing & shower afterwards.
If you are worried about the vines after it's removed , burry or bag them.
If you have to cut the vines into smaller pieces, use an axe with a one clean cut, not a chain saw ;)
 
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Even the pick of the big vine doesn't look like the PI we have around here. Our stuff looks like a Medusa vine with so many roots coming off of it, can't see the main vine through the root "hairs".

I'm not particularly allergic to the stuff. About the only time I'll get a reaction is if I get it on a fresh scratch/scrape. I still try to avoid it and kill it out every chance I get. A mix of Glyphosate and 2-4D with a sticker does a pretty good job of killing the stuff.
 
Even the pick of the big vine doesn't look like the PI we have around here. Our stuff looks like a Medusa vine with so many roots coming off of it, can't see the main vine through the root "hairs".

I'm not particularly allergic to the stuff. About the only time I'll get a reaction is if I get it on a fresh scratch/scrape. I still try to avoid it and kill it out every chance I get. A mix of Glyphosate and 2-4D with a sticker does a pretty good job of killing the stuff.
Triclopyr added to your glyphosate will yield most excellent results.
 
I have been into that stuff a lot chasing fish on the rivers, if indeed you do make contact and are reacting to it DO NOT ITCH OR TOUCH THE AREA!! The burn or sting should go away within 10-20 min and if you dont touch it it should be off your mind in no time. It is so hard to not itch at it but its well worth the short term torture LOL versus possible weeks of agrivation. People seem to have different reactions to the poisonous plants too so your best bet is just steer clear all together....
I wish I knew that when I was kid rolling in the stuff. I spent weeks of tortuous itching
 
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