Poison ivy and wood

In a new historic park the question has arisen, can the fluids of
poison ivy leach into porous old wood and remain able to trigger
reactions? Vast vines cover some of the deteriorated structures (in
fact, may be the only thing supporting some of them). Would there be
"live" residue even after the vines are removed and destroyed
(therein, of course, lies another can of worms, considering that
highly--and not so highly--allergic people mustn't be exposed to the
vapors produced by chopping or burning, either) to plague restorers
and visitors? Should the wood be sealed to provide a non-reactive
surface?

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                 Conservation DistList Instance 10:104
                   Distributed: Friday, May 23, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-104-013
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