What can happen is that if young trees get engulfed with vines, they may not be able to leaf-out as well and the leaves that do come out may become shaded by the leaves of the vine. This may result in stunting. Eventually, with not enough canopy, the tree will decline and eventually die. More mature trees with canopies well above the vines, seem to fair better but may eventually suffer if the vines reach up that high.

You are correct about volunteers getting out there and clearing trees of invasive vines. That happens here in my city within the Fairmount Park system, but it is a long and arduous process - particularly when care is taken to attempt to eradicate the point sources of the vine so it doesn't resprout and begin again. I recall some honeysuckle engulfing shrubs in one of the creek tributary portions of the park system. The honeysuckle itself was later engulfed with sweet autumn clematis by late summer/early fall, believe it or not. The poor shrubs (I think some may be viburnums) just couldn't compete with 2 invasive vines covering them. Fortunately someone got in there and cleared the shrubs.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I still am amazed that some of these trees, that get totally overwhelmed by vines last year, manage to survive with leaves of their own this year. Eventually I think the vines will win. (Remembers something about precession...) but maybe not. Maybe their's hope.

I am seeing trees die in my back yard because of neglect, in other people's property that I can't do anything about, so it's frustrating. And all along the highways. Will they become wastelands of dead trees? We'll see.

Can I hope for a plague of something that only attacks vines?

Cheers,

Lipwak

I've seen it too, everywhere I go. Locally and all along the state highways. In fact I posted about just this very thing on this forum "Warning: Wild grape vines will smother trees" last spring. Got no responses.

Dealing with the same problem as you with neighbors and don't know what else I can do. They just don't care! As I said in my post, one did remove them but now they've sprouted up again and he's just letting them grow! It doesn't take long for them to kill trees. I've seen it take down trees next door. Trees keep the environment healthy. We're in for a lot of grief because nobody is paying attention.

Check out a product called vine-X on Vine-X.com. I've read it works, but you have to apply it to the roots, which are in neighbors yard. That's my problem too. Sandy