The leaves are mowed; the perennials are tucked it; winter is here and there’s not much to do in the garden. Well, there is one important task that lends itself to this time of year - removing any English Ivy that is growing up the tree trunks. Ivy can strangle trees, accelerate rot, attract mosquitoes and cause mature trees to fall down during storms. With the threat of snow, it's important that you pay attention to the last warning - the weight of snow added to the weight of the ivy can cause mature trees to fall down during storms.
A saw might be needed for really thick vines
Fortunately, removing the ivy is simple. There are a lot of different techniques online, but basically, you want to cut it at the base of the tree, making sure you get all of it. Then peel it off about 2 feet up to create an ivy free ring about the tree. That's it. If the stems are super thick, you might have to saw them, otherwise, clippers work fine. And if it's super embedded into the bark, you might have to use a flat head screwdriver or something similar to pry it back. Once you cut it, the ivy will die back. You don't have to peel it all off. It might take a week or so to die, and if you miss just one strand, it won't die, so check on it.
“I could hear the trees thanking me!”