Is that true that grape vines can smother and kill a healthy tree? I have grape vines growing wild in my yard on my tree, but the tree looks tall and healthy. I read somewhere that the grapevines should be cut down, but I hate to distrupt nature and the food for the animals in the area.
A vigorous vine can outcompete a tree, using the branches as support & shading the tree's leaves with its own. Kudzu does this very well. English Ivy on the west coast & Wisteria on the east coast can also do this but not as well as Kudzu. Most native vines (ie. grape vines) have enough natural controls around that they never get to that point. Some trees are more vulnerable than others though....many conifers, especially pine & spruce.
Here at UBC, we have to severely prune back some of the ornamental grape vines from time to time, or they will smother the trees they climb. I don't know of any native grape vines in North America that are this robust, though.
