Remove English ivy from trees

The large trees around our home are covered with English ivy. Is there a way to keep it from growing up into the limbs of the trees?

English ivy growing up into trees (and another invasive creeping vine, wintercreeper euonymous) are most evident now, when the trees are bare. It’s this time of year when you can see just how quickly and how thickly those vines – which are evergreen — can climb into the tree canopy. Left to grow, English ivy vines can engulf the tree within a few years.

Once the vines have grown up into the limbs, there is no quick and easy way to get them down. The vines will have grown stout trunks that continue to reach up and branch out as they cling to the bark. The National Park Service, which has an interest in keeping English ivy from displacing native flora on public lands, suggests several methods for controlling the vine. It likely will require a combination of manual, mechanical and chemical methods.