1. Cut vines about 1 foot above ground level. This allows for easy identification of cut vines in the future so resprouting can be dealt with and treatment is facilitated (if feasible).
2. Second cut is made about 6 feet above ground level, so about a 5 foot section is cut out of the vine. This prevents future regrowth from attaching itself to the hanging cut/dead vines and following them back into the tree.
3. Discard the 5 foot sections into pile(s) if possible, rather than strewing them around and creating a trip hazard when the site is revisited for future maintenance.
4. Cut all vines in the above manner, creating a 360 degree "no vine zone" entirely around the tree trunk from 1 foot above ground to about 6 feet above ground. This makes it much easier to spot and cut new vines trying to attack the tree in the future.
5. Cutting vines about 6 feet off the ground allows the dead vines to be carefully tugged at in future years as they dry out and decompose. It may take 5+ years for all the hanging vines to drop from the tree.
6. DO NOT force hanging vines to come down by pulling hard on them. This can damage tree branches or worse, bring a limb down on your head or someone else's.
7. Poison Ivy: The above practices do not apply to poison ivy, which is a clinging vine. Never cut large poison ivy vines with a saw above waist-level; if you saw the vines higher up there is a very high risk of saw dust drifting onto your face, which is NOT GOOD.
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| Nicely done job using the Glastonbury Method. Note the very high number of vines that were cut to save this tree. |
