do I need to cut these vines?

I'm new to these Southern climes having moved in the last few years from the frozen north, and I'm not too familiar with all the various flora of coastal Georgia. I'm hoping someone can help me with some advice about these vines that are growing all over everything, We've been here 2 years and they have advanced considerably in that time. Indeed, it's starting to cover everything including the house.

Here is the stuff growing over a nice ornamantal tree in my backyard, a closeup of the vine leaves:



and the tree, totally covered in vines:



the whole slideshow is HERE

Should I cut as much of this stuff down as I can? It seems that it should not be completely covering over all the trees and will kill them, but I don't know!

looks GREAT /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif if you want to slow plant things down you really have to either:
trim each season it grows in, which can trim it down nicely, a machette (sword) is always fun if you dont stick it in your knees.
or
you gotta get at the root, most of this stuff is just the tips of the iceberg, under the ground there is as much root, to fire the plant up each year to its same size or bigger.

one plant can alter another plant, when it takes from its roots, or takes its SUN. usually each just motivates itself to get better sun

i would want to either stop it from crawling on the house, because of the tenacle holders that are very hard to ever remove if you had to
OR let it fully take over the shading for the house, and adjust to the problem that can cause.
that stuff can even cling to windows, i would bet that a oily window treatment might stop it from heading in that direction.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE , i think you got yourself a Rain Forest, and its wonderfull, just depends on how much you need to socialize the plant to handle civilization. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

cut roots and paint the root with a brush killer, will selectivly alter and slow a specific plant or area, over a longer period, if you have to do that.

That is wild Grape. From your post title, I thought you may have had Kudzu. Thank the higher powers it's not.
Wild Grape can cut off the Sun on trees and weaken them. Cut away all you want. It'll come back.

I have been advised that some of it is wild grape and other is virginia creeper (no the grape won't really make grapes that I could eat /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif )both of which are potentially nasty and will kill my trees and other plants by shading them out.

Oh well, big weekend cutting and pulling as much of this garbage down as possible. yuck...

It looks like kudzu to me, if it is you need to start fighting it back. There is tons of it in Georgia as well as here grows like crazy. It may very well go by other names Pueraria lobata gits my vote. Try a google search to find out best methods of keeping it in check.
Topper

You might want to try spraying these vines with Roundup.That should kill the roots too.Buy a concentrate at about 46 percent active ingredent,the dilute ready to use
solutions are way too expensive.If you have a Tractor Supply store nearby-try them for the generic,it's cheaper and works fine.