How to Remove Poison Sumac on a Landscape

Identification

• Poison sumac is closely related to poison oak (Toxicodendron pubescens), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum). Although none of these weeds have U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones, as they are not recommended for planting, they are all found in many parts of the United States. Poison sumac, however, tends to stick to boggy or wetland regions, making it a less common nuisance. The epithet “poison” comes from the fact that it contains urushiol, an oil that can cause severe rash upon contact.

Removal Methods

• The best way to remove these plants is mechanically, using tools to cut out and dig up the plants and then dispose of them. Work when ground is moist, usually in springtime or fall, so that plants are easier to dislodge. Do not add plants to your compost pile or to other areas of the yard, as that increases the chance someone will come into contact with them. Instead, bury them or take them to a disposal site. Using herbicides can be hazardous around young children, pets and edible gardens, so use other measures to get rid of poison sumac first whenever possible.

Preventing Return

• It is very important to pull up every part of the plant when you dig up poison sumac. Leaving roots in the ground could encourage the plants to return the following growing season, necessitating a repeat. If you do bury the plant, do so deeply and well away from your yard. Plant less offensive specimens in the area to increase the competition and reduce the available ground for poison sumac to grow in.

Precautions

• Make sure you wear a full complement of protective gear before you get started. This includes gloves, long pants and long-sleeved shirt. After you finish, wash the clothes in their own separate load. Rinse tools under an outdoor faucet. Take a shower rather than a bath, and consider rinsing yourself down with rubbing alcohol to remove any lingering contaminant. Never, ever burn poison sumac or any of its relatives; the resulting smoke is dangerous and, if inhaled, possibly fatal.