Ronkw, thank you. I told the boss the other day that I needed some help and he suggested we try chemicals. I appreciate you telling me how to do it. I'm not working with a small area and would not have known what type of application would be the most effective. Your method will really help with getting rid of the biggest problems, specifically, the wisteria and muscadine vines. I absolutely hate using chemicals but sometimes you've got to do what's best for the greater good. Thank you so much. Destin_gardener, my uncle has a long row of muscadines of various types on a fence in middle GA. We enjoy eating them every year. However, the muscadines in the woods across the street seem to overtake the trees and everything else in their path. Some of the vines are enormous and completely cover the smaller trees in the woods. I've cut some vines that were over an inch thick. Between the muscadines and wisteria, a lot of trees have died. The vine just smothers them. Perhaps I should post a picture of these vines to make sure they're muscadines. Whatever they are, I put them in the same category (almost) with wisteria. These vines have been left to grow where ever on what ever for as long as I've been here (15 years) and are just out of control. If I'm doing the wrong thing by trying to cut out these vines, I'd be more than happy to be corrected. I'm just trying to save the trees that feed the birds and are host plants for many butterflies in our area. Let me know if I've got this plant all wrong. Thanks to all for the input. Bon PS Esh, I did some research after your post on the Echinocystis lobata. It didn't take me long to realize that the vine wasn't a prize find. You know, until today, I didn't know we had wild cucumbers. Go figure! Anyway, this has been a learning experience and so much fun. Now, the boss has taken an interest and is asking me questions about the plants and trees in the woods. He's really interested in what's out there that we can eat in case our economy completely goes belly up. You'd have to know the boss to get the full measure of that comment. LOL! Thanks again.

Or take a look at Wisteria. That's the only one I can think of that might grow straight up 5' without something to support it, and even that seems unlikely. It does have speckled stems. How thick are the thickest stems? Could it have started out growing around a small tree or something that has since died? Keep an eye on it for flowers or fruit/pods/seeds - like hortster says, without a picture that description fits an awfully lot of plants. Although if it's wisteria and it's in a shady spot it won't flower. WW Here is a link that might be useful: Wisteria

Slowly I am going around with my chain saw cutting off access of these vines to the ground. Basically, because the vines are very thick and extend far up the trees, I cut out a chunk and sprayed both ends with the roundup. I could not find concentrated roundup anywhere so am just using the spray indicated for poison ivy etc. When I am done I am going to drill holes into the "stumps" and pour stump remover into them. I think I may be upsetting my neighbor lady. She says that she hired a professional tree person who told her that the vines are not dangerous to the tree. Her trees are also covered with the winter creeper, and the wild grape which is covering three trees on my property is hers...and she likes it and thinks it is pretty. I am the new person here and I have no desire to cause problems. I am willing to endure the stares at my trees with chunks cut out but won't push for the grape vine removal....yet.

Begonia?