POISON IVY

[Tom Posch]

I brought some logs into the yard today from a job.  Some have a green vine on them that I suspect is poison ivy.  I get that stuff bad!!  I can't leave the viney stuff behind because the tree guy did me a favor saving the stalks for me.  Is there a way to get rid of the PI?  I know it will get me handling it either on the mill or if I were to process it as firewood.   

[slider]

I would rather deal with it green before you saw. It can stay dormant for 4 years. If it is dead and you saw it will get you. Been there.

[Mad Professor]

I get that stuff real easy/bad

I'd try to I.D. the vine for sure.  Got pictures?

The Ivy vines I've seen have not been green unless they were very small/end of vines.  The large vines climbing trees, look woody and can appear "hairy" with tiny rootlets that work into the trees bark.

Firewood might be the worse thing to use the wood for because if there is any of the plant that gets burnt the smoke is highly toxic to those allergic.

Trees on my property that have climbing PI gets the vines cut and the re-sprouts sprayed with glyphosphate.  I stay away from those trees for years until any residual of the Ivy has rotted away.

[Brad_bb]

If you're in NJ, it's dormant now and less hazardous than in the spring and summer.  I just put on my gloves and pull it off the logs and put in in the dumpster.  If you don't have that you may need to have a garbage can with a contractors bag to put it in.  I put it in the construction dumpster because I don't want to burn it with the rest of the bark and sawdust, and I don't want to leave it on site.

Don't let it touch anything but your gloves, and then treat your gloves as if they are contaminate and do not touch the outside of them with bare hands and do not touch yourself or your clothes when wearing them.  I thought I was immune, but broke out on my forearms two summers ago.  When I was doing firewood and picking up rounds from Ivy that was on the ground.  Pulling dormant or dead ivy off of logs has not caused any break out with me.  Sometimes the mature vines will break off and stay attached to bark.  Use your spud and remove the bark and dispose of it that way when needed.

Prednisone is what the dermatologist prescribed for my outbreak.  It will help suppress your response to it.  I kept the left over in case I got it again, but haven't.

[barbender]

I'm thankful we don't get the vining ivy up here, it's bad enough right on the ground👎

[Mad Professor]

This might help to I.D. the vine

https://www.poison-ivy.org/identify-poison-ivy-poison-oak

You could also check out the site the wood came from and look for any signs of plants there.

As mentioned if you handle it don't touch yourself.  As soon as possible wash with cold water (does not open skin pores) and detergent to remove the oils.  Wash any clothing separate w/plenty of detergent.

AND MOST IMPORTANT, do not go to the bathroom without washing your hands thoroughly first.

[btulloh]

AND MOST IMPORTANT, do not go to the bathroom without washing your hands thoroughly first.

And then some.  



If it's got green leaves this time of year it's probably NOT poison ivy.  They would have turned red and yellow and been off a couple months ago.  It's quite spectacular in the fall.  If you've got green leaves now, it may be regular ol' english ivy.  The leaves are substantially different that poison ivy.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Yes pull it off first best you can.  sawing it is an invitation to 5 levels of misery.  :'( :'( :'( :'(

I sawed ash covered with PI with a cardiologist once.  He was out of work for a week.  His wife tried to tell me about everywhere he had it but it was TMI for me.

[Old Greenhorn]

much better to pull or cut (with a hand ax) the vines off the sticks before cutting with either the mill or a chainsaw. I get it pretty good too and I whacked a vine with my chainsaw last spring (saw it too late) and it weaponized the sap so that it hit me between the cuff of my glove and the end of my shirt sleeve  on both arms. Use gloves, clean all tools and get rid of that stuff in a safe manner. Mill the sticks with the same caution and shower immediately afterward, just in case. It's miserable.

[Mad Professor]

If you're in NJ, it's dormant now and less hazardous than in the spring and summer.  I just put on my gloves and pull it off the logs and put in in the dumpster.  If you don't have that you may need to have a garbage can with a contractors bag to put it in.  I put it in the construction dumpster because I don't want to burn it with the rest of the bark and sawdust, and I don't want to leave it on site.

Don't let it touch anything but your gloves, and then treat your gloves as if they are contaminate and do not touch the outside of them with bare hands and do not touch yourself or your clothes when wearing them.  I thought I was immune, but broke out on my forearms two summers ago.  When I was doing firewood and picking up rounds from Ivy that was on the ground.  Pulling dormant or dead ivy off of logs has not caused any break out with me.  Sometimes the mature vines will break off and stay attached to bark.  Use your spud and remove the bark and dispose of it that way when needed.

Prednisone is what the dermatologist prescribed for my outbreak.  It will help suppress your response to it.  I kept the left over in case I got it again, but haven't.

Brad, it is still potent in winter but less so than summer.  Beware!
The first time I contracted it, was as a 7 year old with my cousin.  We found a wonderful little stream full of native brook trout.  Water was low and they were spooky.  In t-shirts and shorts, we crawled up to dip some worms, right through a patch of PI.  We got some nice little trout, but also learned about PI.......
Here is a monster vine in winter:


 

[DelawhereJoe]

In the words of Jeff "Don't touch nothing hairy", I het the stuff bad too, I kill it whenever I find it growing witha mix of 3 things roundup, 2,4-D and brush-b-gone.

[Southside]

Pick up some Tecnu, it is a scrub that you use to remove the oil from your skin and it works wonders.  I keep a bottle in the truck because we actually have vines larger than the one in the picture there, and I have seen them flow sap like a garden hose after being cut.  

Tecnu

[doc henderson]

I agree with all so far.  It is the oil that causes the skin reaction sort of a contact dermatitis.  I have never seen the respiratory stuff from burning.  If you can provide a barrier from the skin, you can prevent it.  There is a topical lotion applied pre-exposure that I have never tried.  I have bought the cattle exam gloves at tractor supply, and put real gloves over the fingers to pull it.  If you know you have gotten into it, you have about 15 minutes to wash with soap and water and may not get the reaction.  It shows up first in a day or two in the highest oil exposed areas.  It can remain on boots and gloves, but should be gone if you wash your clothes the usual way.  It may appear to be spreading since more areas next to the original area show up days later.  It is not from scratching, but the lesser exposed areas.  Topical over the counter steroid creams can help, but often the area is much larger than originally expected.  Prednisone works well and that way stops the entire reaction or lessons it sooner.  I have a landscaping buddy, and he gets 100 pills every year or so.  If you put it in a firewood pile, it may be the gift that keeps on giving. bon_fire

[maple flats]

I second the Tecnu. I used to get PI real bad, but since starting to use Tecnu I either don't get it or very little. If I do get it I just scrub again using Tecnu and COLD water.
I used to buy it from Ben Meadows, likely Forestry Supply has it. If they offer more than one, I use the one that comes in a tube. When I use it I wash, rinse with cold water, and repeat 2 more times. That stuff is better than gold when you need it.

[florida]

You don't need to spend money on Tecnu. Any spirit will remove it, turps, mineral spirits, even gas,  just like any other sap. As long as you clean up within 4 or 5 hours of contact it won't bother you.

[barbender]

I disagree on your time frame, florida. I've brushed ivy when picking wild asparagus. I was fully aware that a leaf barely touched my wrist, and kept that area isolated until I got home so I wouldn't spread the oil. Within an hour of touching it I had a streak of blisters where that leaf touched me. I have to get it off immediately or I'm in trouble. I don't want to wade into TMI territory, I will just say I don't have a part that hasn't had poison ivy on it😳 IMO, the most miserable area to have it on is your face. Facial skin seems to respond to it differently. It swells more and gets really leathery. Miserable stuff👎

[trapper]

walmart sells Tecnu

[Woodpecker52]

Its the vine with red rootlets sticking out  of the main vine  usually grabbing tree bark.  My dad would take a bit of leaf in the spring and put in in some bread and eat it, claimed a Choctaw indian  in the 1930's would do it and said it would prevent you from breaking out, fact is he never got the itch from pulling the stuff out etc.  I would never do it, he also would pick up any snake he saw except the viper type,  he was a Methodist preacher and one day he looked down from the pulpit and saw a garder snake on the floor, he just kept on preaching walked over and picked it up and dropped in out of the nearby open window, he turned around and saw about half of the congregation  headed out the back door. 

[Southside]

A friend of mine took his then girlfriend - now wife, and very soon to be mother of his child - out on a date one time and they ended up in the woods.  He is one of those who is not allergic to poison ivy, she however is blonde, very fair skinned, and EXTREMELY allergic to the stuff.  Suffice to say she ended up in the hospital and he had some serious 'splanin to do to her daddy given the location of some of the rash.   

[barbender]

Ruh roh!

[florida]

barbender- Sounds like you may be more sensitive than a lot of people. I don't have any issues with it as long as I remember to clean up. I usually use mineral spirits and it takes it right off. We also have an invasive exotic down here called "Brazilian pepper" which has a sap that causes many people to break out. Also, a common mango has sap that causes the unwary to break out around their mouths.  

[Tom Posch]

 

 

 

[doc henderson]

Well southside logger, I'm hoping the progression from girlfriend, wife and soon to be mother of his children occurred over several years but the mention of a "daddy made me wonder if this all happened last week!!!  lol 

[doc henderson]

Tom.  hard to see the leaves well but that does not look look the poison ivy we have around here.  You might google some close up pics of the leaves and or send a close up picture of your stuff.  I agree with an earlier post, if it is still green and just recently harvested, depending on where you live, prob. not PI.  should be 3 separate leaves attached at the same point.  There are some phone apps to help ID leaves of various trees and plants.  maybe more of an ivy that stays green all year.

[doc henderson]

final thought, make sure the leaves are all the same, might be both.  Although, PI leaves should have been brown by now 

[Mad Professor]

Tom, those leaves appear tri-lobed but don't seem to be in groups of 3 leaves on each compound leaf stem.

The groups of 3 compound leaves should also alternate on the stem and not have another leaf group originating at the same level of the vine.

The vines themselves do look like PI.

Still I'd rather be safe than sorry.........

[postoakzevfa]

I read something by Euell Gibbons about eating it to build immunity against the rash.  I tried it and got the rash everywhere I'd had it the year before.  I wasn't fun.  Don't try it.

[doc henderson]

I agree with MP, but all ivy stems that can climb trees and buildings will look similar.  I would be more inclined to go ahead and pull the vine and use the wood.  I would not however use a leaf to wipe my "asthma", just in case. ha ha ha. teeter_totter

[Tom Posch]

I greatly appreciate all the input.  I don't think it's PI.  But if I'm wrong, I'm in deep trouble.  I get PI extremely easily and extremely bad!  When I was young I'd get shots from doctor that would greatly reduce the severity of each breakout.  

I'm going to mill those logs and try not to touch anything until we get inside.  

Thanks again.

[DelawhereJoe]

 

This looks like one of the types of english ivy, poison ivy should have small branches that come off of the vines. English ivy is also an evergreen unlike poison ivy.

[doc henderson]

Just put this to rest I did a review.  The CDC has a great website, including a section on plants and sawmills.  It was confirmed that inhalation from burning plants can carry the oil and cause life threatening respiratory problems.  In fact some states have laws prohibiting the burning of these plants!  Also some deaths have been reported from eating the leaves.  About 85% of humans react to poison ivy, oak and sumac.  Dogs can get it on bare skin like their belly.  Cattle and goats can eat it with no problems.  They all contain the Urushiol oil.  People are not allergic until  after several exposures, they develop sensitivity. yikes_smileyMost agree the oil can remain active for up to 5 years on tools and other objects, but washed off with soap and water, and or solvents such as alcohol

[doc henderson]

Tom, nobody likes shots.  See if your Dr. will give you a supply of prednisone pills to have on hand, to start as soon as the itch begins after an exposure.  The shots were likely a long acting steroid.  Get you a tyvec suit with full face shield and rubber boots, then see if your wife will go pull off the vines. (just kidding)  My wife claims it does not bother her, but with time it may develop.

[btulloh]

That's english ivy.  Will not cause a rash.  Nothing to worry about.

It will loosen mortar if allowed to grow on a brick wall and it will kill a tree eventually.

[Southside]

Agree, English Ivy, won't cause any skin irritation. As far as cows go, they absolutely love eating poison ivy, I have seen them walk away from fresh grass and clover to reach up into the trees and tear the stuff down.

There was no shotgun wedding so yes the ivy event and the subsequent developments happened over the course of a few years, otherwise I suppose they could have named their daughter Ivy.  ;D

[Tom Posch]

Thanks again.  You guys are great!!

[OffGrid973]

Tecnu beforehand, and complete wash of face and arms with it every two hours.  Then a final wash with it when done and make sure you use throw out small towels each time and the pair of cheap grip gloves go in the trash.

I am in the same boat with IVy and now my entire body itches just reading this thread...good luck

And don't wipe your forehead a lot, ivy there spreads into your eyes and makes you look like a cyclops.

[Don P]

yup, that was a pic of English ivy. People that are immune don't stay that way if they play in it enough. I remember an article in national Geographic years ago where they said a woman working at the Smithsonian got it from a sample they had that was over a century old. I wouldn't trust that it ever really has a shelf life if you are really allergic. And like someone said above, the skin of mangoes can cause the same reaction in some people. A friend can eat the fruit but somebody else has to get the skin off.

[bandmiller2]

Peoples tolerance to poison ivy can change. When I was young I would get it quite bad now it won't bother me unless I really abuse it. The secret is to wash it off with soap and water soon after contact. Frank C.

[mike_belben]

I was immune until i wasnt, which was when i was chopping and pulling vines out of an oak about 8 years ago barehanded. And yeah i took a leak and paid the price.  

I got poison ivy in midwinter in a foot of snow off a snowplow that grazed a patch of dirt. Here in tennessee ive seen it up to 4" thick vine where the weight of the ivy pulls the dead tree over.  In summer you cant tell the tree is dead because its so lush with ivy.  Poison oak grows really well right out of the lawn here and especially along the wire fences where we burn the tall grass periodically.  After a burn the P.O. comes racing back thanks to deleted competition.  I used to try motor oil and fire but it always survives.  Much better is a spot spray of regular white vinegar, table salt and a drop of blue dawn soap.  This changes the PH and kills everything green in a day or three.  You can hit just the poison oak and let the grass shade it out. 

In my woods i cut it with a hatchet, or loppers and occasionally a tophandle saw.  I spray these tools off with ether afterwards.  I have to be careful not to get it from the forks if ive loaded a log that had it. Blue original dawn in the shower is pretty good at getting it off.  When i do get it bad the best remedy is a prescribed steroid.  Deer like ivy.  

[Bolson400]

How to never have a serious poison ivy rash again - YouTube

I don't know if this video will work or not, but it helped me to understand better how the oils work and how to prevent a reaction.

[Woodpecker52]

English ivy got the stuff on my trees in my front yard.  The deer all flock to it now and eat and strip the leaves off the  vines up to head height.

[Magicman]

 

 
This was a Poison Ivy (along with some Greenbriar) covered log, that I loaded and sawed.    

[doc henderson]

Did anyone get a rash?  Or is that why they call you Magicman!  lol  I occasionally will saw cedar into 1/4 inch planks for people to grill fish on.  So I guess that would be another precaution.  I assume the oil does not penetrate too deep, but your blade could drag it into/onto you cut surface

[WV Sawmiller]

Doc,

   Lynn was safe over on his high tech seat but his off-bearers probably got covered up in it. :D :D

[doc henderson]

This has been my favorite thread on FF so far.  Lots of good input.  A great bunch of guys!  I may have to look a few of up next time we travel in your parts of the country.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Vegan milling job. 


 

[Magicman]

Hey, no fair!!  :-\   I'll trade you mine for yours.  :D

[thecfarm]

He could teach me how to not get the rash and I could teach him how to cut trees. ;D

[goose63]

When we were kids my brother had to go and he used it to wipe his butt with mam o man did he suffer