poison oak question

[wesessiah]

i had an oak come down in a storm a few days ago, and the poison oak vines are so large that they have limbs extending up to 10 feet off the tree. the surface of the tree is probably 2/3 covered in the vines that are up to 3 and 4 inches in diameter. there's no way i can cut the tree up without getting the poison oak all over me. getting close to it is like walking into a gauntlet. i didn't realize the limbs were from the poison at first, because they look just like small tree branches with the leaves just starting to develop. my question is, how long with it take to die? thanks.

 

[BobUrban]

More likely poison ivy from the discription than PO although it is all the same stuff that effects you. Just make sure the vines are cut off from the base and let that one sit a year. After they die and dry up you can pull them off very easily but they still are dangerous so do the dirty work next winter and be fully protected. There is a stuff you can buy at the drugstore or online that you put on like lotion and it protects your skin from exposure but do not trust it 100% - just a preventative measure when working in and around the devil weed. Almost every tree in my forest has PI on it and many are coverered just as you describe. Cutting that much while it is green is a recipe for disaster no matter what level of protection you are wearing so best to let nature take its course for a year or so.

Also, the oil is still deadly for years on you clothes so wash everything after you do the deed. Personally I would cut the vines, let it sit a year, pull and cut the dead stuff off, wash clothes and shower and then go cut up the firewood. Reapeat the wash and shower routine.

 

[brian89gp]

Dunno about poison oak, but the oil takes 3-5 years to leave poison ivy vines.

 

[BobUrban]

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac all have the same oil and I would not trust it after 5 or more years. Just not worth the risk so I mitigate it with protective outer wear.

 

[brian89gp]

Same oil and I would not trust it after 5 or more years. Just not worth the risk so I mitigate it with protective outer wear.​

Indeed. I would probably pay someone to remove the vines for me, I really don't like itching for 3 weeks straight.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've cut lots of trees with poison ivy. Most times I'll take the axe and cut out a section where I'll make the felling cuts. When the tree is down, we then take the axe and remove most of it from the tree before bucking. However, as rdust will tell, we do not always remove all the ivy as it does not bother us much at all. I think it has been over 40 years since I broke out from it.

 

[HDRock]

As Backwoods says use a hatchet, or axe on vines not a chainsaw, need to or not, I wash hatchet with dish soap

 

[wesessiah]

thanks for the replies. it probably is poison ivy, i just call it all poison oak out of habit. a couple of years ago i wouldn't have thought twice about going in head first, because it never really affected me. i would get a little bit of redness wherever it got on me, never spread, never itched and would go away in a couple of days... but now it seems like if i get too close to it seems like i get it, and it stays on me for a month or more now. not sure why i used to be so resistant, then suddenly it becomes my kryptonite.