A grizzled old local told me, "Get some goats, they'll clear the place up for you in no time. They love Poison Ivy!" Equipping myself with a herd of the interesting creatures at a farm auction in an ominously named town called "Tabernacle," I turned them loose on the family demesne. Well, I'm here to tell you that they ate everything. Ancient Rose bushes, peonies, forsythia, spirea, Irises, Lily'o'The Valley, astilbe, rhododendrons, Laurels, holly trees, hollyhocks, marigolds, tulips (o they love tulips) daffodils, etc. If it was in the White Flower Farm Catalog, these goats ate it as it it were a gourmet salad.
There was one (1) plant they would not eat. Poison Ivy. Which, I am happy to report, eventually succumbed to a winter campaign of homemade country napalm. (Diesel, Used Motor Oil, TSP, old gasoline, cheap liquid laundry detergent, etc.) Try it on a Poison Ivy covered stone wall. Betcha never knew how many snakes you had on the property!
The big vines were chopped, attached to the tractor and mile-long root systems pulled up. Just make sure you know which way the wind is blowing if you are of a mind to try this. And, you never heard it from me.
The Goats? ¡Ay Caramba, Señor, those who volunteered for barbacoa duty with the crew were delish, those selected for a herd, have many descendants ... who still do not eat Poison Ivy. Go for sheep. They do a better job on the lawn.
Poison ivy in Maine or were you someplace else?
We have some serious poison ivy in Texas and I am extremely sensitive to it. I am VERY careful!
I forgot to mention, cows eat poison ivy leaves but they don’t kill it. You have to poison the roots to kill it.