I live in Massachusetts. Do you think poison ivy will grow in/under all those weeds though? I can identify it (and am very allergic), and I worry that it will be hidden and then I will want to avoid going into the woods at all.

County extension office is a great recommendation; I will connect with them and see if they have thoughts. The weed shown is very pervasive on my property, and I don't know what it is.

Thanks!

If you don't already have a back-pack sprayer, I would buy a decent one. And then equip it with a fan spray tip (as opposed to a round one) for better, more accurate control. It would be impossible to apply spray to a large area with a carry tank, as you'd have an arm ripped out of the shoulder socket after an hour of spraying.

The first thing to do is get the groundcover identified, and these pictures are not good enough, as a little blurry and too far from the plant. It looks like English ivy at a distance, but you need to be sure. I'm in agreement with you that the ivy is a superior look to the weeds. I've maintained large areas of it and found it quite easy to do after the weeds are controlled for a while. Once they are, and the ivy is in good, solid-cover condition (being as it is also a shady area) there will come a time when the weeds will not be bursting out everywhere, and will require only minor spot spraying of individual weeds, only 2 or 3 times a season, in order to control them.

Submit a closer, sharper picture so we can ID it, and then let's go forth from there. We can see in the first picture that it appears to be a smooth field of ivy, about 6"-8" height. Doesn't look like anywhere it is heaped up higher than that ... which would be the true and accurate nature of English ivy as a groundcover.

The weed coming up in the groundcover may be jewelweed. It is hard to ID from the pictures. If that is what it is, jewelweed is extremely easy to pull up.

Depending on where you are in Mass (what USDA zone) and what the groundcover is, it may or may not be able to be thick enough to keep most weeds out.

The ivy as a groundcover is mostly a problem because left unchecked, it climbs up and strangles trees fast, and then you have misshapen trees and a heck of a time rehabilitating the area. However, it is also a huge pain to rip out totally and eradicate. So just keep it in check and cut back around tree so it won't start to climb up on them. Out east the ivy is prone to diseases but that would only bother you if you were trying to totally have it cover everything, which in your case you are not. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/english-ivy-diseases-70681.html

You can buy "Poison ivy killer" spray at your local home and garden. Follow the directions on the bottle precisely! That will be fine for treating the PI. I pull it because that is the most effective. I have special heavy-duty impermeable PI pulling gloves and I wrap a plastic bag around my hands so that after pulled, I can wrap up and dispose of the PI and it doesn't touch the gloves, although I can rinse them and wash clothes if there is any slight contamination. But I am not super, super allergic.

The other plant looks to me also to be jewelweed, which is actually not a weed, quite a beautiful and useful flower, great for butterflies and hummingbirds, but it does tend to like moist soil and dappled shade just like poison ivy which you will often find growing around it. Fun fact is the sap from jewelweed relieves the itch of poison ivy. Don't bother with that weed, just focus on keeping the English ivy in check and the PI down. Woodlot weed management is about triage. Eradicate the worst weeds as totally as you can so that they will not spread seeds and sprout year after year. The rest is aesthetics and as time permits, encourage beautiful native wildflowers for something pretty to look at as the seasons pass.

After you get a handle on your worst weeds, IF you want to expand more, you can create some shady woodland flower beds around the edges of your yard where the lawn meets the forest and you can see and enjoy them. I wouldn't venture into the woods with a lot of landscaping, unless you want to create some pretty paths through that area and some seating, views, etc. Just scan every month for weeds popping up, which again, I suggest just focusing on your worst enemies like poison ivy. I would emphasize encouraging and planting spring and fall wildflowers because in summer it is probably going to be too buggy to really enjoy it much unless you are really fond of the woods in summer. I go, but armed with bug repellent! But this is not necessary if you don't want to fuss with any of that. Just focus on the weeds and just on the ones that will cause a problem if left unchecked.

https://www.accentnatural.com/jewelweed-friend-or-foe/

Here are a couple of examples of the many manuals out there on weed control, specific to your area of the country. Click on the photos for detailed descriptions of each weed and how best and easiest to control it.
https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/invasive-plants

Here's another list. You'll see some of the "usual suspects" like I mentioned, but from the looks of it, ivy and poison ivy are your biggest issues. I'll hazard a guess you might also have garlic mustard. The reason that plant is such a problem is it alters the soil microbial community so that other plants have trouble growing in it. Dame's rocket same deal and it gets it's name because the seeds shoot out of the seed pods so it spreads rapidly. Thistle is just prickly and a profuse seeder, so we try and keep that one out as well.

http://www.townofpalmer.com/vertical/sites/%7B034F9CAE-5196-4551-90C2-FBFD76374BDB%7D/uploads/Guide_to_Invasive_Plants_MA.pdf

https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/invasive_species/garlic_mustard/about_garlic_mustard

https://www.appliedeco.com/dames-rocket/

This is so helpful. Thank you pinkmountain!

I can see Pachysandra, Ivy and Jewel Weed. Before wading in with the herbicides it would be a good idea to post some of your plants on the Name That Plant Forum. You might have some nice natives. There are some interesting large leaves in the background and some small green leaves in the grass. I'd want to know what they are before spraying.

General spraying under these conditions is a fairly bad idea since it will kill the pachysandra as well as the desired plants. Pachysandra can help control weeds seeding in, so is definitely a good guy in this fight.

The 'ivy' growing up the trees is probably Virginia creeper. The photos really aren't good enough to positively ID anything. Baby Virginia creeper looks almost exactly like baby poison ivy. Aside from that, it is an interesting native.

The truly nasty weeds under these circumstances tend to be woody invasives like Amur honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and very prolific natives like maples. They create impenetrable thickets where poison ivy can grow freely.

"The 'ivy' growing up the trees is probably Virginia creeper. The photos really aren't good enough to positively ID anything"

There is English ivy, Hedera helix, very clearly showing in the last photo. I live with that menace day in and day out and there is no mistaking it for anything else!

If other photos don't come, agreed, we're pretty sure this is English ivy. One thing we can see with absolute certainty, though, is that in the first picture, this ivy is no menace! It is the problem solving groundcover that allows a large portion of land to be protected from erosion while being simultaneously beautified and greened with a low-growing "upholstery" that flows over the land like warm, melted cheese. The clear menace is not the ivy but the weeds that come in the second picture! We shouldn't be trying to mischaracterize THIS SITUATION by calling it anything other than what IT IS.

Someone seems to have already kept the ivy from climbing the trees, so keeping it that way would be no more than a 1/2 hour per year chore for all the trees in the picture, ... if the OP wants to maintain it that way.

Alex Le, if you want general information about maintaining English ivy, check out this thread called, "Managing Hedera Helix" where I've written extensively on it.

The difference is the OP is located in MA, where English ivy is far less of an issue than it is elsewhere. Here in the PNW, it IS a menace and an immediately identifiable one. That was what my comment was in reference to - the plant in question is unmistakeably English ivy!!

btw, ivy is pretty useless for erosion control. Plants recommended for erosion control generally have deep, penetrating root systems - ivy does not!! But since this is a more or less flat area, erosion control is pretty much a nonissue. Any evergreen groundcover will achieve the same effect.

"... the OP is located in MA" Then, as it does not apply, we don't need to be dropping the poison pill about how evil ivy is in the PNW, and the confusion it brings, into the thread. There is such a thing as surface erosion that occurs on slightly sloping land. Ivy is fantastic for preventing it.

I can 100% say there's Hedera helix. That's what I meant by 'ivy'. It's the only plant I call Ivy.

LOL!! Any confusion that exists is in your head!! And I am just as eager to discourage folks from planting this invasive species in areas where it is a recognized invasive as you seem to be to encourage its planting. I'd suggest you get over it as every comment you make promoting this inappropriate choice, I will be there to offer more environmentally inoffesive alternatives!!

btw, it is not just in the PNW that this is considered an invasive species. All of the east coast from NY to Georgia, Texas and parts of the midwest, for total of 18 states. Plus it has naturalized in a number of other states (including MA) where it is not yet listed as invasive.

There are just so many other, better groundcovers one could suggest that do not have similar invasive characteristics that it is silly and highly irresponsible to encourage its planting.

Point is if you have a whole woods to "weed" you need to clearly identify what your most troublesome weed species are and get rid of them first. How to landscape that area comes after. The OP sounds to me like s/he doesn't want to spend a lot of time maintaining it. I maintain woods for a living, and frankly I find English ivy problematic since very few people have the time to keep it under control. It can cause your trees to become scraggly and deformed very fast, and there is very little you can do to rehabilitate the damage up in the crown of a mature tree. In a naturalized woodsy landscape, English ivy is trite to say the least . . . But pulling it all out after it has become so well established is also a lot of work, so the average home owner probably isn't going to do that. Keeping it from spreading is a start. If you want to transition to something less invasive, that could be done as a next step.

I only use herbicide on shrubs and trees that are on hills too steep for me to dig out the stumps so I use it for spot treatments in hard to get at places. But the OP says s/he is allergic to poison ivy so I suggested SPOT treating just that weed (just the poison ivy) with herbicide. I don't do that either, I pull it out as I mentioned, since it is more effective, but I am only mildly allergic. I am not suggesting spraying it all over the forest floor to generally "weed" out plants. Inefficient and likely to do more harm than good. Everything growing on the forest floor is not a "weed." A weed is just a plant that you don't like, which is why I am suggesting only "weeding" for plants that you find particularly problematic. I gave you an example of some of the criteria we use for determining our worst weeds, but every home owner may be different in their approach. Frankly I would take a "less is more" approach if I didn't have grand aspirations for the woods. And if I did have grand aspirations, then I would gradually clear the area of most invasive species and plant and encourage woodland natives. But weed control in those types of situations is no small feat, so again, I recommend going to the web sites I posted and educating yourself as to what the worst offenders are and focusing first on those.

Here is the close-up photo that was asked for, though I now feel pretty confident that the majority of the plants are English ivy and Jewelweed. There is definitely a section of pachysandra on one side, separating the woods from a rhododendron bed.

Having read more about Jewelweed, I think my plan is to do the following: weed the Jewelweed by hand, back about 5 feet from the perimeter near the edges, and away from any usable spaces like trails and our fire ring. In the most visible part of the woods where the English ivy is strong, I will weed back a bit farther, and cut any ivy that makes its way onto trees. Near the back of the woods, I will just let the Jewelweed grow.

Hopefully this will keep the area looking decent and make it possible to keep the poison ivy at bay. (while keeping a little native plant life for pollinators)

I think you also have Enchanters Nightshade in that picture. Circaea lutetiana. The plants at the top and on the right. Note the different leaf shape and, if you touch one, the different texture. It's hard to see in the photos but the Impatiens will have alternate leaves and the Circaea opposite.

Do you have a picture of the big clumps of leaves in the distance in picture 1? Given the soggy site I wondered about Skunk Cabbage.

There are a lot of tutorials on removing poison ivy on the Web, both videos and web site. The main thing to keep in mind is learn to identify the poison ivy and don't spend time weeding and killing things that look like PI but aren't. Large areas can be cleared, but the plant is spread by birds in their bird poop, so if it is in your neighborhood, it is going to have a tendency to show up. The key to long term poison ivy management is to keep the woods as shady as possible. PI likes dappled shade but not heavy shade with a lot of growth on the forest floor. So you're most likely to find it on the woods edge and along the edge of trails. A healthy forest with a good cover of canopy trees, understory shrubs and ground vegetation usually doesn't have a TON of poison ivy in it.

You may never get to the point where it never comes back, but you can get to the point where it is easy to spot weed or spot treat it with herbicide. Again SPOT treat, and it doesn't do any good to spot treat an older, mature plant. The herbicides only work on emerging vegetation. So later on in the season, prune or pull. But even dead PI branches and vines have the oils, so always use precautions. Here's an example of the videos out there. I think they went a little overboard but better over cautious than under. I got PI rash once from just touching my cousin's clothes who had been out in the woods and left them in the bathroom. We were in the city and I was a kid so at first no one knew why the heck I had broken out in the rash!

However, don't assume that just because you are out there you will get exposed. Learn to identify the enemy and just be on the lookout. Like I said, due to being spread by birds, it has a tendency to "pop up" fairly quickly in some spots. That's just evidence that a bird landed there and pooped. We get it under benches a lot for that reason, just have to keep on it.

https://albopepper.com/poison-ivy.php

Pinkmountain - where are you seeing poison ivy in op's pictures?

There is a New England forum here.

It may be a better place to ask your questions since more of the answers will be directed at how to manage things in New England.

"... as you seem to be to encourage its planting." As a matter of fact, in this thread, there has been no encouragement of planting ivy. Here, the ivy ALREADY EXISTS. We're just talking about what to do with it. It is this kind of carelessness about claims that confirms in my mind that yours viewpoint is based on a psychological passion instead of a fact-based study of reality.

"... frankly I find English ivy problematic since very few people have the time to keep it under control." I have had the same obligation of taking care of very large tracts of wooded land covered in ivy. I can't but think you're doing something wrong if you see it as more time consuming. What is there to do but tend the edges of the area and keep it off of trees if it's decided that needs to happen? Keeping it off of trees is a once per year job that is very quick to do.

"... It can cause your trees to become scraggly and deformed very fast, and there is very little you can do to rehabilitate the damage up in the crown of a mature tree." Could we see some evidence of this? Because my experience does not see this happening. Too, in wooded areas, who is caring about exact details of tree structure? In a woods, trees do as they please with very little help from, or concern by, man.

Tecnu is a great product (cream) that can help provide a PI barrier on the skin ( I’d still use gloves and plastic bags and long sleeves) but it can help provide an extra layer of protection. Roots are also oily. I am terribly sensitive to it also.

jd like to know some suggestions for other groundcovers as we have similar situation with large areas of ivy, and whatever our circumstance, it only grows ok but not great and it sucks to have to weed it several times a season. We are Also in MA. We pull the jewelweed and the creeper, that stuff can grow feet in a day but does not cover well.

I'm not seeing it at all. That's why I'm suggesting OP learn to identify the "weeds" for sure, otherwise they will waste time pulling and treating things that are NOT poison ivy. Happens all the time. I'm suggesting they do not have as big a problem as they think they do.

As for deformed trees, I actually lived across the street from one for 12 years. It was interesting to watch the tree desperately try to win the battle. I am too busy pulling weeds to fuss with photos. They are legion on the 'net. Whether it is too time consuming or not, people don't control it, evidence is all around of that. But this should not be an endless tit for tat about ivy. OP just got the property, OP needs to manage it, and OP is looking for suggestions. The ivy is there. I am just cautioning you that ivy can get away from the average home owner so that it is something to keep an eye on. If you want to go beyond that level of managing a woodlot understory, then proceed step by step from there. But it's really up to OP and at this point sounds like just the basics to start. Woodland gardens can be gorgeous . . .

I'm curious as to why people are talking about weeding out the Jewel Weed, since it's a native wild flower.

It appears that OP does not want it invading paths and lawn areas. That's the area where it is not wanted. I consider it a beautiful addition to the wooded understory but I still string trim it along paths.

"But this should not be an endless tit for tat about ivy." Agreed, and no one wants that. But I keep seeing claims made about it that I believe are unquestionably wrong, so it's not as though those claims should pass unchallenged. You and Gardengal have both made claims I believe are wrong, and BOTH refuse to post any pictorial evidence to back up the claims. I can't accept passionate speech. I need conclusive evidence. And not just a claim that the evidence is EVERYWHERE! Because it really is not.

I've seen a lot of ivy pictures, but never anything that amounted to ivy being the CAUSE of a tree's deformation. Sure, ivy can climb a deformed tree, but it's incorrect to to attribute the climbing to being the cause of the deformation. Anyone can notice that ivy only attaches firmly and climbs the stout wood of of trees -- whose form is already well established. If it can't attach to lightweight wood, how can it be the cause of deformation? If it ever happened, it would be RARE, not commonplace, or anything used as a general reason against ivy. The common example that's available is ivy climbing trees but NOT DEFORMING them. Once people are more careful about their claims -- or back them up with evidence -- I'll feel inclined to agree with them, Without evidence, I don't.

As far as ivy "getting away from" homeowners ... that's true. But one person's failure is not justification for another to stop using it where it suits their purpose. Instead, there should be a professional effort to educate people about ivy management, and help them learn how to get the upper hand, as it is definitely possible. For myself, learning how to manage it transformed ivy from a high, to an extremely low maintenance plant, which is why I passionately defend it.

I would love to learn how to make ivy (the English kind, not the poison ivy kind) into a low maintenance plant. We have a gentle slope covered in ivy, it’s got bald spots and we have to weed it multiple times a season to remove all the other kinds of plants “volunteering” in there from ferns, creeper, and that tougher stuff that is vine-ey....maybe the area is too sunny (but it’s not full sun); there is an area of pachysandra that is doing pretty well. It looks great as just ivy, but that is hard to maintain. And while it doesn’t seem to want to grow to fill in the bald spots, it does like to creep into the lawn. Surrounded by woods, it’s not growing up/on any trees, but it will grow up our deck supports. Maybe I just have a black thumb here. im in MA and the OPs photos look very familiar.

I love ferns. If you could stop considering them weeds you would save yourself some work.

@HB ... I suggest you begin by reviewing the thread, Managing Hedera Helix, as there are many suggestions about how to deal with English ivy, already discussed there.

On the the subject of weeds in it, that is not really about ivy per se, but about weeds in groundcover, and the problem is generally the same with any kind of groundcover. If an area gets direct sunlight, that will exacerbate the problem. Usually, at the beginning of fighting such a battle, it is helpful to employ Preen -- a pre-emergent herbicide -- in order to suppress new weeds that are sprouting from seeds. (It must be applied on a faithful schedule. I suggest adding a calendar reminder to one's phone. Its effect improves over time and eventually, its use can be minimized or eliminated. Cheaper to buy in bulk @ Home Depot.) It would be used in conjunction with pulling the weeds that can be pulled, digging those that can't be pulled, or carefully and with precision, spraying and killing those that can't be dug. (A fan spray-tip on the sprayer makes the difference.) If weeds solidly cover ivy, an initial spraying of glyphosate can be done directly over the top, as the ivy will be protected by the weeds. Re-emerging weeds can often be spot sprayed if one catches them before they get too large. BTW, poison ivy is an easy weed to kill with glyphosate. If it is large it will resprout but can be sprayed again on the rebound.

For bald spots in a groundcover, that could be any number of causes that are particular to the site and conditions. I'd suggest starting a new thread about that. Include pictures of the surroundings.

YV you are such an ivy devotee it's pretty impossible to rationally discuss it as a landscape feature so I have to stop I guess. You can't be serious on ivy not deforming trees. It competes for nutrients and space, and grows over the trees leaves, branches and trunk, thereby impeding the trees ability to thrive, and stunting it's growth, because what it manages to put out against the ivy is stunted. The branches get weak, the tree loses out and slowly dies due to weakness and then the diseases that come in when the branches break from all the weight of the ivy. I seriously doubt pictures would make a difference, just give you something else to argue about, how to interpret the photos. I have a stand of white pines that was ignored for decades and covered in english ivy. The canopy of the trees is filled with broken branches that fell due to the weight of the ivy. Other stands without the ivy are not as susceptible. The ground under these trees is littered every year with fallen branches, left over from the deformation caused by trying to outgrow the ivy. These branches are weak so they either break or die.

From a 2010 USDA literature review: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/hedhel/all.html

"IMPACTS AND CONTROL:

Trees hosting English ivy may be susceptible to windfall during storms [97,125,136,146,160] especially if they are weak [97] or when they are supporting several English ivy stems [136]. Reichard [126]
speculated that the additional weight of water or ice on the evergreen
leaves of English ivy may increase storm damage to trees. Invasive plant
publications suggested that English ivy decreases "vigor" in host trees
[99,146],
and a study from Oklahoma suggests that English ivy may inhibit
development of top and root mass of host trees, particularly maples [141].
Anecdotal information suggests that as English ivy climbs, it covers
and kills supporting tree branches by blocking sunlight. The host tree
may eventually die from steady weakening [160,170].
American elm trees may be particularly susceptible to weakening by
English ivy. In a riparian forest in Washington, DC, 13% of fallen
American elm trees had supported English ivy, whereas only 9% of all the
other fallen trees species supported English ivy [170].

In a North Carolina riparian forest, English ivy was associated with
several other exotic species, and its occurrence was negatively
correlated with native species richness (r²= -0.42).
Researchers speculate that only the most "aggressive species" were able
to coexist with English ivy and that English ivy's presence may promote
invasion by other nonnative species because it spreads fast and
displaces most native species [183].

Several other ecological impacts of English ivy invasion have
been described in the literature, although most have not been well
documented. One report from the Pacific Northwest suggested that
English ivy may decrease water quality and increase erosion.
Researchers have identified English ivy as a host for bacterial leaf
scorch (Xylella fastidiosa), a plant pathogen that harms native trees including elms, oaks, and maples [95].
There is some concern that leaf litter from English ivy increases soil
nitrogen, which may negatively impact native plant species that grow
best in low nutrient conditions (Tremolieres and others 1988 cited in [126]).

HB it is possible you have some diseased plants in the bare spots. But also many other factors could affect the ivy's growth, including light, soil and moisture.

I frankly don't love it or hate it. It's not on my list of most aggressive invaders in my zone, and if you kill it back off the trees on a regular basis, could perhaps be kept in check. We have it in one spot but so far can keep it in check. However, if I was trying to create a nice woodland garden, it would not be my groundcover of choice, as it changes the nutrient profile of the soil so plants I like better can't compete and hold their own against it. If I wanted a no brainer ground cover and nothing else, then I suppose ivy suits the bill.

@IPM, it doesn't do any good to make claims without pictures that demonstrate the validity of the claim. You'll need that shows ivy's routine habit is to climb over leaves & lightweight branches of trees. I know it to climb only on heavy wood and leave the lightweight growth unmolested.

I have a property that is right next to a wooded area. I live in NJ, so deer are a huge problem. I tried to get English ivy to grow on my property as ground cover, but the deer would destroy it over the winter, and it never looked good. I decided to rototill it all out, and went with Pachysandra, which the deer don't touch. It took several years for the Pachysandra to become established, but now it forms a solid mass, and very few weeds grow in it. It loves dry shade, which very few plants can tolerate, and can be controlled from spreading by mowing the edges of the bed or deeply edging. It spreads by underground roots, so a deeply dug edge (3-4') to cut the underground roots works well.

I have jewelweed as well, as there is a creek between my property and the woods. The jewelweed is very easy to pull, which I do because it spreads quickly and can get quite tall and thick.

Consider planting some woodland natives a s a transition between the lawn and the woods. I love tiger lilies, but they do need quite a bit of sun, but spread well and require little maintenance. Native tall phlox is pretty in the spring. Ferns are usually safe from deer. For shadier areas, rhododendron or mountain laurel makes a nice barrier/transition that blooms in spring as well. Just be sure to get the native variety. I spray weekly/biweekly for deer, and that seems to mostly keep them off my property. I have lots of shade, and thus lots of hostas, which are beautiful but also well known as deer salad.

As for the PI, there are actually companies that you can call that will deal with it if you are too allergic or if it becomes a problem. The best is to not let it get out of control. Pull or spray the small plants as soon as they emerge. I spent the first year or two systematically battling PI, and once I got rid of it all, it took several years before I started to see it creep back in.

Enjoy your property! It will take time to learn what works best for your area and what is the easiest to grow and maintain. Enjoy the journey!

We purchased property that was completely ivy. We tried spraying, pulling, etc but the best way to remove it is to hire an excavator to pull it off. It was not that expensive and for our nearly 1 acre lot took only 1.5 days. We found the sprays did not work because they did not get any sun. We then planted lots of shade loving natives (we live in SC), mountain laurels, rhododendrons, hostas and ferns and it is wonderful. Ivy is very destructive and invasive. We have found this easy to maintain and looks beautiful

Personally, if I had a wooded property, I would 1000x rather have jewelweed and ferns than English ivy. I would try to find plants that do well without a lot of maintenance, look good seasonally and support wildlife. Jewelweed usually prefers damp places and seems pretty harmless in my opinion, it doesn’t ever get tough or viny, and is a snap to remove where it’s annoying. Here, woodland asters cover a lot of territory, for us it would be something like big leaf aster. Sweetfern and dogbane are common fillers in the woods up North along with goldenrod, bugbane, ferns, tiarella/heuchera etc.

Hi Alex le

I can only tell you what I would do, since I wouldn't want to deal with ticks, constant weeding or anything having to do with poison ivy, nor would I want to start spraying poison all over near my home for my own sake and the sake of the environment. I would call in a local landscape specialist and have them give you a low-maintenence natural landscape that rips out what you don't want and puts in lots of plants and features that discourage mice and deer and other tick hosts, and which also combats erosion. Only a local professional can tell you what's feasible given your topography, but something I think I would enjoy is a wide walking path meandering through those woods, with a few cleared spaces for a bench or two, with some flowering woodland shrubs or small trees that don't require poison to survive.

Photos of local ivy stands smothering ALL lower growing vegetation.....including shrubs and seedling trees:

I can't imagine any smaller woody species NOT being deformed by all that evergreen weight!! The result is pretty damn obvious!

Unfortunately the middle picture doesn't show ivy. But the others make the point all the same. Ivy is native here but never produces anything like the mass in those two pictures.

Floral, the middle photo is not mine but came from a local source clearly identifying it as Hedera helix. Since there is nothing else present here that grows in that manner and that vigorously, I assumed it was ivy but perhaps they "borrowed" that photo from elsewhere. The first and last are my photos taken of local woodlands/greenbelts.

Yeh. But it just can't be ivy. If you zoom in it very clearly has compound, light green leaves and lengths of long bare twining vine. All wrong for Hedera helix. I don't know what it is though. Clematis vitalba perhaps? I believe it's one of those stock pictures which someone misidentified somewhere and which then got spread about the web perpetuating the error. There are lots of hits if you put it into google image. It's even used to illustrate PI on one site.

LOL!! When I 'zoom in' it is just a blur - you have those eagle eyes :-)) But the patterning didn't look quite right to me either.

I'd suspect that is not a local photo at all but as you say, one that has been spread around under a wrong ID.

Being very short sighted has its compensations. The iPad enlarges well and I then hold it 6 inches from my nose!

Second shot is Clematis vitalba demonstrating the copious drapery it produces on multiple different local sites*. The long vertical appearance of the hanging side growth of the plant in the third photo also suggests it is not ivy either.

Not that certain green belts in Seattle, Tacoma and Portland don't in fact have Atlantic ivy (Hedera helix hibernica) covering just about everything except the tips of tree branches. When I look at the photos posted here of the site being asked about I too want to get rid of the alien ivy and encourage whatever harmless native plants might be trying to get going, instead of the other way around.

*"naturalized weedily; abundant" -- Jacobson, Wild Plants of Greater Seattle - Second Edition (2008)

The OP's question was about a weed management plan. So to create one, you need to know what the environmental conditions are, which is why your state and zone and soil type and sun/shade and moisture conditions are important. You also have to know what your plants are, what their life cycle is and what their needs are. This can help you get rid of plants you don't want (deny them their needs or at least be aware of how they will react based on their needs) and also help you encourage what you do want.

Then you have to decide what YOU want and what level of management you want to devote the resources towards. That's why it is very important to know what your weeds are and how they live, because that can help you come up with a management strategy where you can have the greatest results for the least effort. For example, the herbicides that they sell over the counter, for the most part, are in concentrations that only work on emergent or cut vegetation, because then they can be absorbed into the plant. Older vegetation has a more developed "skin"/cuticle and will not be as susceptible. So spring is the time to apply an herbicide. Also, it needs to be applied at a time when it won't get washed right away by rain, and not on a windy day when you are going to be exposed to "blow back." If you don't apply the herbicide properly, it will not only be ineffective, it can also cause unwanted side effects, such as being blown onto vegetation you don't want to kill, for example, and damaging them.

To the OP I will say that the English Ivy is not causing the area to become overgrown with poison ivy. The two plants thrive under the same conditions, which is why you are finding them growing together. As I mentioned, I manage an area of white pine trees that was neglected and became overgrown with English ivy. I also have limited resources. I managed with the help of volunteers to get the ivy killed off of the trees, but the hillside is steep so I haven't removed all the ivy. I also have a huge deer browsing problem so until I get that under control, it won't do much good to try and plant and establish anything else on that spot anyway. Whether or not you have deer also needs to go into your management plans and strategies.

So as an example of how a management plan might work, for that area, my strategy is to keep the ivy from going back on the trees and large shrubs, and to manage other weeds that are growing amongst the ivy. They are growing there because they too can thrive, deer don't eat them either. My main weed in that area is poison ivy, and I control it because visitors are walking and sitting in the area so I need to keep it off of trails and out from under benches. So I try to eradicate ALL of it so that the remaining plants do not become a source of seed for next year's weeds. That's key in your weed management plan, you have to keep on your weeds because if you let them go, the seeds will spread and you will lose ground. That is also why you will probably just pick a FEW things to attend to since you most likely don't have the time or desire for a complete forest restoration. The other four weeds I focus on are garlic mustard/dame's rocket and Asian honeysuckle, not because they are a problem in that spot, but because I don't want the seeds to spread to other areas where they will become a problem, and thistle, because it is prickly and a prolific seeder. You have to nip your seed sources in the bud. With poison ivy, birds spread the seed from yard to yard and place to place, so you're always going to have a few pop ups, so what you're shooting for is to not let your yard become the seed source. The farther away the seed source is, the less of a problem you will have.

Jewelweed does not alter the soil in the same way that say, garlic mustard does, and it grows well in the conditions of your woods, so I wouldn't spend an inordinate amount of time trying to control it, unless I wanted that perfect sea of just one type of groundcover look. I find that boring and so much work considering the size of your area I wouldn't lay awake nights figuring out how to eradicate the jewelweed. As some have mentioned, it's easy enough to pull out so whenever it is in the way, if you pull it out you can keep it down. Any more pulling would be up to you as to time and effort you want to extend. Unfortunately, pull out jewelweed and something else more noxious just might hop in to fill the gap which is why I would ignore most of it, besides the fact that I quite like the plant.

I manage very similar areas, and I basically just comb them every couple of weeks for my worst offenders and pull them out. Since I have somewhat of a handle on it, usually is not too difficult. But all it takes is a month or so of neglect and the task becomes more time consuming. The rain and some staff shortages made it difficult for us to get on our weeds this year and we are losing the battle even with the few weeds I have mentioned. At home, my husband does the mowing and string trimming and watering, and then I dead head and weed, for the most part since I know the weeds. He sits on a recliner or a lawn chair and keeps me company while I do my rounds. I have a couple of weed pulling tools to lighten the task like a weed fork, trowel and cultivator. Very rarely I have to use a Roundup spray to get to a weed that would cause too much damage to dig out. I spot spray following all instructions like I mentioned.

You have to decide how firm you want to be about establishing and keeping the edge between your lawn and your more wilder forest. I'm pretty lax at home, at work we have defined bed edges. Either will work.

Now, as for establishing some native wildflowers for pollinators, with the two aggressive groundcovers that you have (that I can see) the ivy and pachysandra, only the most hardy natives are strong enough to survive under the competition for water and nutrients that those two groundcovers bring to the table, as was mentioned in the literature review I posted. Add deer to the mix, and all bets are off. I don't know if you want to go there or not. From your original post, it sound like not. But if you wanted to dip your toes in the water, I suggested starting with some spots you can see from where you spend your time, and add some color/flowers/scents to the mix. I don't think you will be spending much time out in the forest in the summer with mosquitoes and ticks in the mix. If jewelweed is growing in your woods, it's a wet woods. You discourage mosquitoes by being vigilant and not allowing any standing water, like in a tub, old tire, big puddle, whatever. If you have a natural shallow pond in your woods, then I would just go with it and not go out during "M" hour which is what I do, and using various repellants when outside. You could also install some bat houses, bats really do a good job keeping mosquitoes down. But bat houses have to be installed correctly or all you'll get is squirrels climbing on them and wondering why they can't get in, (ask me how I know).

Ticks are a little trickier, since they are carried by deer, and if you have deer, you have my deepest sympathies. That's a whole other post/topic. But here's a link to a pretty good pamphlet from the town of Millis, MA, on woodland managements to battle ticks. http://www.millis.org/Pages/MillisMA_BComm/Boh/Tick%20Management.PDF

Of note is the advice to remove groundcover and trim trees on the edge of the forest to let light in. IRONICALLY, this will provide IDEAL conditions for poison ivy to grow, as it like dappled shade. I'm not sure you want to go that whole route, so I would advise just focusing on the trail area, making it wide enough so vegetation isn't hanging over it, and also staying out of there with pets and only go back there myself or with kids with proper tick preventative clothing. I work in tick land on a daily basis, and I take precautions and so far have been ok. Just be aware of how to look for ticks and be vigilant about protecting yourself and also be on the lookout for ones that might get on you if you've been out in the yard working or recreating. Long legged pants in a light, cool material, and a hat are two good things to get. Then somehow seal off the ankle entrance. Socks pulled over the leg openings are the classic solution, but you can get pants that have elastic leg openings too.

As for full enjoyment of my woodlot, if I was going to put any energy towards it, I would focus on creating plantings that could be viewed by looking into the woods from areas I might be sitting in outside of the area, or from along the path. Flowers that grow up high enough to see, like Cimicifuga/Snakeroot, or Goat's beard or coral bells, etc. Since your area is wet you might get some plants like royal fern or sensitive fern to grow, they are stunning. Also chelone and bottle gentian, maybe some woodland sunflowers or some buttercups, but again, if you have deer, all bets are off. Stick to daffodils! And maybe bleeding hearts and buttercups as I think they are also toxic to deer. Astilbe is supposed to be OK, but something is eating mine, maybe groundhogs or bunnies. Same with columbine. So learn to love jewelweed! It is actually one of my favorite wildflowers!!

I haven't seen ivy do that around here ... it's just not that vigorous. When I think of vines taking down trees, I think of things like Bittersweet ... Looking on Mass Audubon, Hardy Kiwi seems to be the aggressive invasive that does all the stuff being discussed here.

https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/invasive-plants

We have some English Ivy, and it needs to be reined in sometimes, but so long as you yank it back occasionally it's not that bad. Once a year, go check on it ... pull it out where you don't want it and cut it off with clippers. It'll move, but its controllable. It might be more aggressive out west ...

As for whether poison ivy could grow in and amongst the other weeds, it could ... the birds are very generous in their planting. We don't get a ton, but if it's in the area for the birds to eat and spread, you could get some. We also have much more appealing berries (serviceberries, wild cherries, blueberries, and blackberries), which I think can also help. Who needs poison ivy berries when there's that kind-of buffet? (Though I do wish they'd leave me more blueberries ... they don't even wait for them to fully ripen.)