One of the places where I walk my dog is in a woods not far from my house but it just seems alot of these trees are dying and the only thing I can see that may be a cause of it is the majority of them have alot of ivy on them. (Think it's ivy anyway not an expert) and at one end where it has less ivy trees seem healthier with more growth going on. From a Google search some are saying it's a myth that they are bad for tree's. If it's not good for trees how do you stop the spread.
by spudulike65
5 Comments
Bad very bad unless on a fence
Ivy does not kill trees it has its own roots for water and nutrients and makes its own carbohydrates, Ivy is vital wildlife habitat!
At the moment there are many fungal diseases which have arrived on our shores thanks to the modern economy which are causing trees to die.
Ivy isn’t gonna kill a tree it adds another eco system and home for insects. The black dots on the sycamore leaves you showed in second picture are called tar spots this is a disease that only affects leaves and causes no harm to the structure of the tree.
The myth of ivy killing trees is catastrophic for biodiversity. I see people have cut the ivy at the base of trees in a lot of woodlands I walk in. Massive oaks with 2 inch thick ivy stems cut by the mis informed. It destroys an essential element of woodland habitat. We all need to do more to inform folk not to do this..
Ivy is a native plant in Ireland, it does not kill trees and it is great for wildlife.
In the US it is an invasive species and causes a lot of problems. Which means if you search ivy online a lot of website will advise killing it, because they are writing for an American audience.