Urushiol and firewood

We have an itchy situation.

While we avoid visible poison ivy, there are times where it hides among other plants and it is really difficult to avoid it. We have a large acreage (25+) and eradication is probably not very realistic.

How much should one worry about firewood contamination if poison ivy grows all over the place and is pretty hard to spot among other plants?

Let's say that hairy vines can definitely be spotted and those trees will not used for firewood at all (I have read that people strip the bark).

The firewood is used exclusively in a wood burning stove indoors with little potential for any smoke to be breathed in (but not impossible - if, for instance, the stove spits out some smoke all of the sudden).

The trees are being cut down in the winter, so it's tricky to spot the ivy (other than large hairy vines). Knowing how little urushiol it takes to cause a severe reaction, and that it can stick around for years even after the plant dies or if it gets on something, should one be worried about it being on a chainsaw, pruning saw, or work gloves and then rubbing off on other logs? Could such a small amount cause an issue?

One person in our household is immune (for now) and one now has pretty severe reactions, which makes it all sound very risky. Of note, we haven't had any issues with burning yet, but we have not used our own firewood (previous owner left us a bunch).

The more I research the topic, the more confused I am. Between the plant being nondescript and ubiquitous, no way to see urushiol, delayed sensitivity reaction, different reactions experienced by different people, the fact that urushiol lasts seemingly forever, and difficulty in cleaning certain items (can't throw gardening tools and shoes in a washer), I am not sure how we are not all constantly covered in a head to toe rash! (Sorry for the rant)

Main question is, would small amounts of urushiol rubbing off on logs present a health risk after being seasoned for 1-2 years and burned in a wood burning stove?

I have serious reactions to poison ivy and although I make every effort to steer clear of it, I generally have a spot or two most of the growing season.  I did however grab a spading fork that had been exposed last year when I had an extremely bad case and yep, my hands broke out within 24-hours.  It was a case where I forgot to have my husband scrub it and  exposed myself to it again.  

I have had luck with the technu scrub but you literally have to "scrub" it over your skin and it's pretty pricey so I just try to avoid contact with anything that may be near poison ivy.  I have been slowly moving some branches from a downed tree and wear gloves and a long-sleeved denim shirt that immediately go into the washing machine when I'm finished.  

As for inhalation, I've never had an issue as anything that has poison vines attached gets relegated to the edge of the woods and not burnt.  However I have encountered a few people who've had major issues from inhaling the smoke and one whose entire body broke out in a rash after burning a brush pile that had sat for over a year.  

My reactions are severe enough that I wouldn't take a chance if there was still evidence of a piece of the hairy root attached to the logs but would think the risk would be greatly diminished if the bark was removed.

Michelle, yikes, that is a cautionary tale!

Here's a small tip: specially marketed technu scrub is not needed. Any old soap or detergent that cuts oil works to prevent the rash if you wash well within an hour or two of exposure. I usually use the dishwashing liquid that is next to the kitchen sink. If I think I've been exposed, I strip into the washing machine. Then grab the dish soap and take it to the shower and lather up any parts of my body that may have been exposed. Lather and rinse twice just in case. It really does prevent the rash.

I am very sensitive to poison ivy, and accidentally breathing it in the form of smoke is a very frightening scenario for me. If I knew any poison ivy might be burned somewhere I was visiting, I would be sure to stay away. I can imagine that being a big inconvenience for someone processing infested timber into firewood.

Nasty stuff! Survives 300C according to wikipedia.

Maybe I'm way off base, but if it's an oil-based nasty could it be coated with an alkaline/basic substance (dry wood ash) and with the addition of heat and moisture form a "coating" soap? Pure cuckoo folks. Just spitballin'.

I also wonder if a big shop-sized rocket stove, two stages of combustion, might thin out the nasty bits.

True to above, we're definitely not burning the vines or any trees that even had vines on it. Perhaps this may sound overly cautious, but I now worry even a contaminated tool (saw) or glove that touched NON-ivy infested firewood would transfer minuscule amounts of urushiol. Not sure how much to worry exactly. We don't knowingly touch any poison ivy (it's always a situation where it was really hidden in the thick brush), so it's really hard to follow the scrub down protocol and I have yet to find a good way to wash leather work gloves. Obviously, we scrub down with dish soap for any KNOWN urushiol contact.  

You could leave it outside until the oils go away (up to 5 years total according to the internet).

Burn only a small amount at first to test your sensitivity to it.

You could mix it with other sources to reduce your exposure.

You could trade it with someone else who doesn’t mind.

You could “cook” it outside first, or even make charcoal.

The boiling point is said to be 200 °C (400 °F). So the risk of it evaporating occurs around this temperature. Ideally one would keep the stove door closed while the outer surfaces of the firewood pass through this temperature. However long that takes, maybe 20-30 minutes?  

Also don’t use that particular firewood when the chimney isn’t drawing well (when the chimney is cold or when it’s “warm” outside).

Use ventilation as needed.

This may be stating the obvious, but what about using this wood to build soil?

Hugels are well regarded in this community for using wood towards that purpose.

It seems like you have picked up on a little bit of the anxiety felt by people with severe allergies. I personally have a bad allergy to some stinging insects.

As with poison ivy, I plan as best as I can and then remain observant. But coming from someone dealing with the consequences of a recent sting that occurred while driving my car, it is impossible to reduce the risk to zero if one still wants to enjoy the outdoors.

Thank you for caring about these topics. It makes things safer for folks with allergies.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions! Mark, you are spot on about anxiety related to allergies. Sometimes, it can be hard to balance these anxieties with inherent risks of ... well, everything My friend's very young relative apparently just started getting into beekeeping only to discover that they have a severe bee sting allergy. He was devastated, but, in the end, he was able to find a similar hobby, although involving fewer bees. He is still a very outdoorsy person.

I definitely don't plan to never burn wood again or go outside again because of poison ivy, but I plan to be more careful going forward after the last exposure.