Briars and Ivy taking over Ireland

yosemitesam1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121787117#Comment_121787117

The only trees negatively affected by ivy are ones who've long since lost their vigour and are on the way out anyway. Most either outcompete it or tolerate it just fine. It doesn't choke trees at all, it might outcompete a worn out tree for light but that's it.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121788459#Comment_121788459

Agreed the second looks much better and is more diverse.

But both look better than this IMO

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121788662#Comment_121788662

So at what point does the Ivy stop in your opinion?

Even the most vigorous trees have a natural height and will essentially stop growing, Ivy doesn't.

Ivy will keep growing until it has covered every inch of the tree and every tree all around.

It will also cover every inch of the ground around the tree and so nothing else is growing as there is no access to sunlight.

You might as well cover the place in bind weed and be done with it.

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121787117#Comment_121787117

I wish those obsessed with butchering a native plant that supports much wildlife, would be as motivated to do something usefull about non-native invasive species like Rhodendron and Laurel etc. that are strangling what little is left of our native woodlands and other habitats.

yosemitesam1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121788875#Comment_121788875

A good canopy on the tree stops ivy effectively. If there wasn't so much light hitting the tree trunks in your photo there would be much less ivy there.

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121789026#Comment_121789026

That's is true, we have a big ditch of Ivy, up the road, when it flowers (puts out the black balls) every bee from cork city to mizen, must gather there, as well as wasps and midges.

The briar is the plant I admire the most. Strong, hard, spreads mad, cuts me,trips me and yet has a beautiful flower and the most delicious fruit

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121789026#Comment_121789026

Maybe the do that in the Rhodendron and Laurel threads? Why cant people have an issue with both?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121789455#Comment_121789455

Ivy grows year round, deciduous trees don't have a dense canopy year round so that doesnt really make sense?

Also, Ivy grows along the ground and up a tree, unless you have a dense woodland, the ivy will get all the sun it needs from the side. Light is always going to hit those tree trunks, since we dont live at the equator.

Biscuitus

4 years since I made this thread and ivy has got so much worse. Take any road in ireland and every second tree is covered. Once smothered it kills the tree. I'll never understand how people think that ivy doesn't kills trees. One of those myths are fathers spread around and should have been disregarded years ago.

Nothing we can do at this stage and nothing we could have done to begin with. Warmer winters cause the plant to flourish all year round. About 9/10 trees on my farm are covered and I have lost so many to it since closing the fields last Autumn. Every farm I passed on my way from Cavan to Cork last month was in the same position. The destruction to hedges and trees is going to cause irreparable damage to biodiversity.

Briars is a whole other problem. I measured one briar growing 9 foot since the hedge cutter trimmed it the previous year. If only grass grew as well.

I was looking through old photos of the farm and it's like a different country. Hardly a weed in sight and barely any ivy on the trees. How much things can change in 30 years.

Count Mondego

The majority of modern farmers only work from the tractor, they wouldn't dream of cutting briars with the tools. If you clear them once, a few knapsacks of Grazon Pro will keep them down for good.

893bet

A quick google suggests ivy doesn’t harm a healthy tree.

Briars are a pest. I was on the saw for an hour earlier just keep manners on them on a bit of barbed wire. The power of them is unreal when you think of it.

GreeBo

DLRCC were busy pulling/cutting ivy from the walls or Marley park for the last few weeks.

Diarmuid B

it was mentioned in our KT group that one fella thinks the growth of ivy etc taking over trees and killing them is down to farms being fenced now with electric wire. Cattle aren’t able to get to the trees to scratch/eat the ivy etc and as a result it’s thriving. Not sure what to make of it but he does have a point

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122026069#Comment_122026069

Sadly not, cattle can access the hedges here and there’s lots of ivy

Sunjava

There should be a national Ivy clearing day....it destroys the tree/hedge it inhabits. Google is wrong.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122019816#Comment_122019816

It absolutely does, it is basically a parasite, it is nonsense to suggest it only targets weak trees, or that trees that can't cope with it were weak to begin with.

It's ivy that weakens trees, by strangling branches, obscuring light, and adding weight to the crown so the tree can't withstand storms.

It's a curse and should be severed at the base of all trees.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122019816#Comment_122019816

Keep googling.

Trees and ivy rely on the same supply of water and nutrients.

Ivy growth crowds tree branches, blocking sunlight trees need to make food.

Vines can weigh a tree branch down, putting it at a higher risk of breaking in a storm.

Over time, an ivy invasion weakens a tree, making it a target for opportunistic pests.

I've seen first hand the difference in growth and vigour of trees with and without Ivy growth on the same site.

blackbox

Deciduous trees survive winter storms because without leaves, they have less wind resistance.

If the crown of the tree is covered in ivy it is effectively an evergreen but without the strength or roots to support this in a storm.

Goats were great to take ivy from trees but you rarely see them now.

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122028379#Comment_122028379

Nonsense - its a native species that provides cover and food for much wildlife during the winter period in particular.

https://www.echo.ie/nature-on-our-doorsteps-ivy-a-keystone-species/#:~:text=Ivy%20provides%20a%20wide%20range,late%20autumn%20and%20late%20winter.

Its the non-native invasives like Rhodendron, Monbretia, Laurel etc. that do the damage

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122028428#Comment_122028428

Ivy has been here as long as all our native tree species - its part of that woodland ecology that are the most biodiverse types we have. Same with Moss, Lichens, Ferns and other epiphytes that are commensal with trees around the world. Dead wood, storm damage etc. are part of these natural processes too, something which many in the plantation forestry sector don't seem to get…

https://treeplantation.com/dead-wood.html#:~:text=Deadwood%20and%20fallen%20trees%2C%20far,its%20biological%20and%20physical%20structure.

"Deadwood and fallen trees, far from being mere detritus, are foundational elements within the ecosystem, playing a crucial role in both its biological and physical structure. They foster biodiversity, enhance nutrient cycling, and contribute to landscape diversity, thereby bolstering the overall health and functionality of the ecosystem. Recognizing their value is integral to fostering an understanding and appreciation of the complexity and interconnectivity of forest ecosystems and underscores the importance of including these elements in conservation and management efforts."

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122028692#Comment_122028692

Are we talking about the impact of Ivy on trees or the biodiversity of fallen dead trees (which I'm well aware of)?

Sunjava

I saw first hand the damage it done to the hedges and trees in the house we bought. It keeps growing until it completely smothers the host tree..to me that is destruction. I think it should be monitored anyway.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122018497#Comment_122018497

What you are undoubtedly describing is the raveges of ash dieback. Ireland will have lost nearly all it ash trees in a few years time because of an imported disease. Since ash is Ireland's most common tree it looks like armegedeon out there. Very little to do with the ivy that has been coexisting on trees for ever.

Ivy is not a parasite since it only uses the tree for support. Ivy only runs wild in a tree when it is at the point of death because a tree has the ability to resist it whilst it is still in active growth. The problem is that hedges are chocked full of end of life ash trees because farmers stopped actively planting hedges decades ago. Also no farmer uses a hedge as a boundary anymore preferring barbed wire and electric fences. On top of this there is the ever accelerating problem of abandonment of farmland as farmers die or get to old to manage the land.

Sami23

I don't understand why people don't just spend a couple of hours with the chainsaw and cut the ivy around the bottom of trees.

I was at it yesterday evening myself and will take great satisfaction over the coming weeks seeing it die away.

Same with briars I'll be hitting them with Grazon 90 when I get time.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029682#Comment_122029682

As people have pointed out most farmers now days won't do anything that involves getting out of their tractor/diggers.

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029682#Comment_122029682

How would you like it if someone whipped off your Winter coat. Ivy protects trees and wildlife.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122028688#Comment_122028688

Just because its native doesn't mean its not causing damage or growing out of control, in your opinion, what naturally controls Ivy?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029043#Comment_122029043

If its not a parasite and not causing any damage, what exactly is the tree "resisting"?

Also, how do they "resist" the Ivy?

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029771#Comment_122029771

😂.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029771#Comment_122029771

That's another thing Ivy does, it traps moisture against the trunk which eventually rots the bark.

I've cleared ivy from trees that were half dead from it and they've subsequently recovered. It's an old wives tale that a tree falls or dies because it was weak itself and nothing to do with the Ivy, it's all to do with it.