Whats up with the “English Ivy kill trees” signs?

Have you been wondering about the mysterious English ivy kills tree signs that are all around Atlanta? Have you been wondering who has been putting them up? I have too!

Let me make one thing clear, it is not me. I am a creative arborist on the Northside of Atlanta and have been very intrigued with seeing the signs around. It’s a bit of a mystery.  I heard the saying a long time ago “Find the parade and get in front.”

Yes I’m an Isa certified Arborist, yes I run a tree service here in Atlanta, But no I did not put up any of the signs. It’s just as mysterious to me as it is to you.

I heard it hypothesized that perhaps it is the rent to go to people who will bring goats into your property to eat up IV. But no one really knows. Anyway, if you find out let me know through my YouTube channel.

Does English Ivy Kill Trees?

Is it true? Does English ivy really kill trees? Has an Isa certified Arborist, I would say yes.

In fact, I would say that just about any type of Ivy or Kudzu kills trees. The problem lies in a few things.

1. Weight- Ivy gets heavy as it grows up the tree and this adds extra stress to the tree and eventually will or at least could be the source of the tree’s demise.
2. Sail effect-     English ivy, Kudzu, and regular Ivy growing up trees increases sail effect: The pressure put on trees from wind, snow, ice, rain. The fact that the tree has more external pressure put on it can cause it to physically fail, or can require that the tree reallocate more resources toward growth to the trunk in order to sustain the extra load.  Resources allocated toward trunk rows are taken away from root growth and leaf growth. This causes stress to the tree.
3. Bacterial infestation-   Ivy attaches to the trunk of the tree and hold in moisture. This creates a petri dish effect for bacteria to thrive and get into the vascular system of a tree. Trees are not designed to have all sorts of growth on their bark or at least they Thrive more without the Crustaceans holding on.
4. Water deficiency-  sign Kudzu grow up your tree, it substantially depletes the water right around the trees critical root Zone. If you look at a heavy infestation of kudzu or Ivy comma it requires a lot of water to keep all of  those leaves happy and healthy.  If the water is going toward the leaves of the ivy, then the water is not going toward the leaves of the tree.
5. Blocks out the Sun-   Eventually English ivy Kudzu or any sort of Ivy will grow tall enough in a tree that it will get in front of the leave and simply block out its ability to photosynthesize. This in essence starves the tree of light and therefore of food.

 

Solution:

Cut the English ivy or Kudzu at the base of the tree.    Be very careful not to cut the bark of the tree. This is critically important because you don’t want to introduce bacteria into the tree’s vascular system.

Secondly, if you cut the IV but do not remove it, pay attention to the growth and thickness of the ivy. Very thick Ivy as it dies could become hazardous as it sloughs off and flakes off the tree.

 

Tree Solutions:

My name is Mark Russell.   I’m an ISA Certified Arborist and I’m also TRAQ Qualified which is the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification given through the International Society of Arboriculture.

Are you in need of a free estimate or a consultation to evaluate the risk of your trees?  Feel free to contact me by giving  me a call at 770-Arborist (770-272-6747) or the contact form below