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Poison Oak clippings

Started by cornucopia72, November 11, 2010, 12:03:56 PM

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cornucopia72

I have piles of poison oak clippings that I pulled off some Coastal Live Oaks and I would like to run them through the wood chipper.  Does any one of you know for how long the "poison" remains on the vines after is cut?  I am very sensitive to the oil and want to wait unytil it is safe.

mad murdock

I do not know the answer to that one myself, I do know from those who have burned piles of it before, that you need to be very careful even of the smoke, as the oils can become airborne and it will cause severe respiratory irritation, and in the case of known allergic reactions, it could easily be a fatal situation, were one to breath the smoke.  It is terrible stuff to deal with, I wish you well.
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Magicman

It's more than "on" the vines & leaves.  It's "in" them.  I think that I would rather stir up a yellowjacket nest that to do what you are proposing.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

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Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Skiddah

I second mad murdock's take on the situation.  One of my best friends and I used to work for a land clearing outfit that did some pipeline work.  He went down to Mississippi to drive truck on a pipeline project there.  He never did anything more than go between the cab of the truck and the loader, but became very very very ill with poison oak.  The culprit was smoke.  Pipelines generally pile the slash and burn it.  The oil was in the smoke and made my friend very ill.  I would be very cautious if I were you.  One, because you say that you are sensitive to the oil.  Two, because if you were to reduce the posion oak to smaller portions through a chipper, I'd think that it would be easier to spread the toxic oils that way.  That's not scientific fact mind you, but it stands to reason.

cornucopia72

Thank you very much to those that responded thus far.

As you may imagine, it was a lot of work to trim by hand saw and prunners all the poison oak in this 3 acre parcel.  Some of the vines were 2 inches in diameter a more than 15 ft long.  If I was to haul the clippings it will be a major chore and take several truck loads.  I would never think of burning it. 

A publication put out by the University of California Extension Service states that the oil remains in the clippings for up to two years.  I just wanted to hear from someone with practical knowledge on the subject. 

I hope that, eventually, my grand kids are going to play and explore every square inch of this parcel and I want to make that as safe for them as possible.

John Mc

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Tom

burying it seems to be the safest thing, but not deep enough to cause it to not rot.

I would think that the center of a compost pile would be just as safe and the heat and bacteria would get rid of the vegetation and the oils too.  A good working pile gets mighty hot inside, hot enough to kill the bacteria and quit working.  I'll bet that a properly turned compost pile would dispose of the problem within a year, probably a lot less.

Dan_Shade

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

sflynn

Yes it's true, the oils can last a couple of years. They will even last on metal. So clean your tools well.

treefarmer87

i know a few people who sware if they walk by it, they start itching
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pineywoods

As others have said, DO NOT BURN. The oldest recorded case of chemical warfare involved smoke from burning poison ivy. It will mess up your lungs big time. The cleanest solution I know of is a herd of goats. They love the stuff.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
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treefarmer87

i used to have a big goat back in VA. there was a small 1 acre cutover next to the my mother-in-laws, i put him in there and he cleaned it up good including the posion oak and ivy.
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

Phorester

Another idea is to let the pile sit for 2-3 years, then chip it.  Personally, I'd let it season for several months, put on long sleeves, then burn it, but I've never been sensitive to poison ivy smoke.  I sure couldn't have my job if I was.

You could pull out a little at a time from the big pile and burn a small pile of it. It'd be easier to keep out of the smoke of a little pile.  

Then burn your clothes when you're done.   ;D

Tom

One of the problems with burning it isn't in the immediate vicinity, it's in the path of the smoke plume. Sensitive folks for a long way down wind could be affected.

Phorester


Good point Tom.  Several negatives with burning a pile of pure poison ivy.  Burning would probably be the cheapest and easiest way to get rid of it though, and my suggestion was to give an alternative way to do it if the situation allowed it.

northwoods1

Quote from: cornucopia72 on November 11, 2010, 12:03:56 PM
I have piles of poison oak clippings that I pulled off some Coastal Live Oaks and I would like to run them through the wood chipper.  Does any one of you know for how long the "poison" remains on the vines after is cut?  I am very sensitive to the oil and want to wait unytil it is safe.

Good gosh don't burn it. particularly if your sensitive to it, but even if a person wasn't so sensitve burning it would be a bad idea, because do you really want to find out how sensitive you are to it by getting a dose of it in your lungs?? Burning is simply the worst possible thing you could do with it. There is a reason it is called POISON oak. Why mess with it at all, just let it decompose. Cover it up with more decomposeable material. The oil in it can remain for a long time even after is seemingly is dried out. Burning=bad idea!

cornucopia72

Thanks to all for your input.

I have decided to do a combination of what was suggested here.  I will wait until the end of the rainy season, May, and then chip all the clippings. Then I will bury the chips.

I have been cutting firewood at the parcel and started piling the poison oak clipping at locations where I can reach with the tractor and the chipper.  It has been my experience that the dry vines are no way near as "poisonous" as the fresh ones.  I work with gloves and coveralls and wash my hans with alcohol every-time I remove my gloves and so far no problem.

I will report here how things go.

pineywoods

Running the clippings through a chipper, why? You will have a badly contaminated chipper, just hope you don't have to take it apart for some reason. Just bury the stuff along with the gloves and coveralls.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Magicman

I don't know the circumstances, but I would just let them rot.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

John Mc

You could not pay me enough to chip that stuff. You are going to have the oil mist coming out the exit end, and as someone mentioned, if you ever have to work on it, the oils may well still be around.

If you wash your hands or take a shower afterward, you should do it with cold water. Washing with warm or hot water opens your pores, and lets the oil in further. (Learned that the hard way.)

John

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Dougofthenorth

Urushiol

Urushiol oil stays active on any surface, including dead plants, for up to 5 years.
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/pubs/videoresource/fspoisonivyoaks.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol

Clean tools & equip: citrus degreaser

Cleanup skin: Dawn dish soap or a serious grease/oil cutting one

Medical Treatment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecnu or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burow%27s_solution

Regards,
Dougofthenorth
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mad murdock

that hurts my leg just looking at it!! Ouch :( :( :'(
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

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