Yes, and

Will ivy will kill a tree? The answer is often "yes, and I would be willing to bet that you experience some unforeseen tree part failure before tree death due to the ivy simply obscuring structural inconsistencies (weakly attached unions, cracks, etc.). At minimum sever the ivy at the base of the tree without significantly damaging the bark of the tree. Good excuse to pick up a hatchet or machete." D. Ricks

Failed lead of an Ivy covered hackberry in Chatham County, North Carolina. The Treeist removed the failed lead, severed the ivy at the base of the tree and inspected the canopy of the remaining tree while aloft.