"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Carol wrote in message
I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to sever
the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


Do you need to? Ivy is the winter home for some of our small birds
especially Wrens.


I always smile at that argument. :-) The amount of habitat damage that an
individual can do is miniscule compared to the national ivy population. You
might just as well say
"Don't cut your grass. You are damaging essential habitat for larks, linnets
and corncrakes. Don't kill off those nettles. They are an essential food
source for caterpillars. Don't paint your eaves woodwork. It will make a
wonderful lichen and fungus habitat."
There must be acres of uninhabited ivy just waiting for prospective wrens to
occupy.

--
ned