oak tree

[smudge]

I noticed yesterday I have an oak tree (approx. hundred years old) is plastered in ivy is it damaging tree or should I leave it tree looks ok?

[The Barrowers]

I would leave it but other may know better. I have a couple of lightly clad trees and they have been okay before and after I bought the wood over 7 years ago

[Wendelspanswick]

One of the adverse points of having a tree clad in Ivy is that it becomes more susceptible to wind damage in winter, we had an Ash tree blown out of a bank that was bedecked with Ivy, the whole root system pulled out, other trees that were free of Ivy were unaffected.

[oldclaypaws]

If I have a old oak on its way out with a thin canopy, the ivy has the light to be able to grow right up to the top of it. If you have a healthy oak with a good canopy, the ivy only goes half way up. The ivy is an indicator of the trees condition, it doesnt kill it and just cos you see it on old trees doesn't imply its killed it, the tree died first.

Its good habitat, gives food for birds from the berries in the winter and should be left. Thats the advice of the FC. Timber guys don't like it and will remove it as it makes felling and milling more time consuming, but I find it fairly easy to take off a fallen tree, it almost peels off.

Ash is the exception, it has an open habit and can get swamped by ivy, so I chop it at the base. Ivy is an important part of the ecology and should largely be tolerated.

[Treeation]

My advice would be if its swamping the tree sever it at the base. I have seen quite a few oak struggle with ivy only to make full recoveries once the ivy has been killed off. Before anyway pipes up I am not suggesting a war against ivy - I have recently enjoyed watching honey bees doing their thing on ivy flowers and respect its retention for conservation value.In my eyes a 100 year old oak is a much more valuable habitat than a bunch of ivy and you have the decision to make an impact towards increasing the life of the oak tree at this point. Beari in mind the mature oak is capable of hosting the largest diversity of insect, mammals and fungi in our woodlands.

I am not convinced that the presence of ivy on a tree is a true indicator of a trees health. Seems like waffle to me! I believe what I have seen with my own eyes over the years.