Remove Vines Strangling Trees

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If the leaves have fallen, how come so many deciduous trees are still green so high up?

Those aren't the tree's leaves, but rather nasty vines growing up the trunk! Ivy, oriental bittersweet and other invasive vines easily grow out of control. Most escape from gardens or sprout from dropped seeds, then scamper up trees.

If you don't remove them when they're young, they can quickly cover the tree's canopy, blocking the sun and choking the tree to death.

As the vines wind around trunks and branches, trees are girdled and smothered until they weaken and die - often making them the first to fall in a storm. The vines also accumulate heavy snow and ice, helping to pull trees down in windy, winter weather.

So, with the tree's leaves gone now, go check for vines that shouldn't be growing up your trees. If you can't remove them yourself, call in an arborist for help before those vines come down the hard way — by taking your tree with them.