English ivy, Hedera helix is an evergreen groundcover and climbing vine hardy in the Philadelphia area. Long utilized as a ground cover, the ivy starts to cause trouble when it begins to climb on vertical surfaces like tree trunks. Aerial rootlets enable the plant to adhere to the bark. Cup-like disks at the end of the rootlets secrete glue-like compounds that affix the stems to the surface. The rampant growth scales the tree trunks and spreads out onto the limbs. Left unchecked, the vine will envelop the tree canopy.

English ivy does not twine like other vines — e.g., bittersweet and wisteria — that girdle the stem. Ivy adheres to the surface, then develops lateral branches on which flowers (in late summer) and fruit (in the fall) grow. The fruit is dispersed and germinates to create more ivy plants that tend to colonize disturbed sections of forest fragments, which are unmanaged.

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The ivy and other vines scramble through the canopy, blocking light to the tree leaves and adding weight to the tree structure, especially when combined with ice and snow loads. The vines inhibit the tree’s function of photosynthesis and carbon capture from the atmosphere, and the tree fails to reach its potential.

Although evergreen ivy looks nice, it hides areas of hazardous decay on a tree’s trunk. To avoid this, we advise you to take care of your trees by removing ivy and other vines. Often, we combine this work with a general pruning of the tree. One approach is to carefully cut the thick vines at the base of the tree, then at eye-level, and strip what is in between. We recommend starting the process in the fall and waiting two or three months for the upper section to die. At that point, when the ivy is easier to peel off, strip the limbs and trunk.

Remember, an ivy-covered tree is a neglected tree.