You seem to be taking the long view so why not go with (black)locust posts. If you can't find any trees growing in your woods you ought to find some seeds or seedlings. Grazing animals love to eat the leaves, they are fairly fast growing and repsrout after cutting as they have a vigorous root system. In wet ground the posts are known to survive 30 years and much longer in dryer ground. Also depending on how big you let them get, the trunks can be used for long tool handles or lumber if big enough to mill. One tip - black locust have thorns that will tear the hide right off, so treat them carefully.

Black locusts are sun-lovers, and our woods are just a hair to old to support them. They are still popping up here and there in the understory, and I did get Mark to open up the canopy around a few last year, mostly for the bees since their flowers are a great source of early summer nectar. Red cedars are much more common on our property, which is why we use them so much more than locust. It would be interesting to see a side by side comparison of locust vs. cedar longevity in the ground.

problem with cedar is only the red part resists decay. Small cedar has very little heartwood and the rest rots quickly.

You all can come over here and cut as much locust as you want.

Daddy --- good point! I kept meaning to post some photos I took of a cedar post I used for our clothesline (but the garden always seems more interesting. ) I put the posts in the ground a couple of years ago and the thicker post is still good, but the post that was only about 5 inches in diameter cracked over the winter. When I pulled it out, I could see that the red heartwood was still firm...but since it was only about an inch thick, it couldn't hold up the weight of my wet clothes. There's probably a formula somewhere (or should be) about how big the heartwood is for a certain diameter cedar so you can see if it will hold up in the long run.

Everett --- Thanks! Don't know if we'll ever take you up on that, though.

Ideally, cedar posts should be from cedar big enough to split. And the fence is fastened to the heartwood side, which is turned toward the fence.

That makes a lot of sense --- not only do you see how much heartwood you're getting, you also have a solid surface to attach to.

Regarding black locust: those trees bear wonderful wood once cut and milled. But the trees themselves are ones only a masochist count love. I've personally had a BL thorn punch through the sole of a Timberland work boot, a Ford F-250 tire, and the tire on a JOHN DEERE TRACTOR on the SAME DAY.

I'm a woodworker and own a portable mill. I will sometimes go on salvage missions for slabs when an old hardwood falls/gets hit by lightning, gets hits by a tornado, etc., both to slab the trunk and assist the people in question. Depending on the species/age of the tree, sometimes I even pay the landowner.

Black Locust I won't attend even if someone's paying ME. Great wood, great for the forest, great for bees... but, not to put too fine a point on it, those trees can take a long walk through a short wildfire. Mean, spiteful, hateful plants that have it in for you, personally. Mark my words.

-Z-