03/18/2026
Wild grapevine is about as love-hate as it gets for native species in central Appalachian forests. It all depends on whether you’re watching wildlife use it or looking at what it’s doing to your trees.
It’s one of the best natural food sources out there. Deer, turkey, and birds hammer grape clusters from late summer right on through winter when fruit hangs on. Areas with heavy grapevine almost always show consistent wildlife activity.
However, on the forestry side, it’s a much different story. Grapevine loads down the tree canopy with extra weight, and once it reaches the canopy it can spread from tree to tree, pulling trees over or breaking tree tops during ice and wind storms, slowly hurting the quality and value of your forest.
One interesting fact most people don’t realize is that grapevine typically starts with a young tree and grows up with it into the canopy. From there, it can spread and hitch-hike across to neighboring trees, but it does not climb up mature trees later in life. In many cases, the vine is just as old as the tree it’s in.
It’s a true double edged sword of a species. Great for wildlife, rough on timber. The key is knowing where to keep it and where to cut it.
