Eucalypt Fence Queries

[rowan57]

Hey guys.

We are about to put in a 500m chainlink fence. We have a Eucalypt plantation which I am planning to use for posts, about 100 of them. I need to get the fence up ASAP, and using our own Eucalypts saves us the best part of $400 in fencing posts (The labour for cutting the Eucalypts into fence posts will probably be <$50 for a whole week).

The problem I have is, these trees have not been cut yet, and I am not in a position to season them for 2 years before erecting the fence, we are talking cutting to fencing in probably a couple of months.

The ground here is dry - always. During the rainy seasons it may stay damp for a few days but nothing major. The idea for construction is that we dig 3ft down, pack the first foot with rubble and stone, and then the chainlink starts 2ft below ground (The chainlink will also be anchord by steel pegs underground). The 2ft below ground with chainlink will probably be some stone and rubble with earth packed down on top. The posts will be probably 11-12ft long depending on the size of chainlink I can get.

Let me explain some of the reasons behind this design so it is clear. We have wild boar. The same as you have in the US I guess, these are big. When they hear dogs barking they get easily under a fence if it is not underground. We will also likely put razor / barbed wire in loops along the top to help keep monkeys / people out.

A couple of answers to questions that may come up:

Do you really need to fence the area in? Yes. People here steal everything if it is not bolted / welded down or electric / razorwire fenced in.

Can you not afford to spend the $400 on properly treated and seasoned posts? No. We are an NGO with next to no cash, and saving $400 is a big deal.

After all that. My real query is, what problems am I likely to face using green wood? I am not planning on debarking the trees, only cutting and putting a point on the end.

Advice (other than 'spend the money and get the real deal :-D) welcome. Depending on what I can find, I will probably treat the first few feet of each pole for termites.

[dale]

would you be interested in selling a small amount of the Eucalypt wood?
Im talking a board or limb about 12 inches long and 2-3 inches around.
I make a few things out of wood and we here in Missouri USA dont even have that kind of wood.
let me know what you think
And shipping to 65717

dale

[culpeper]

I'm no expert on either eucalypts or fence-construction, but I do know that eucalypts come in both soft and hardwood species. I would suggest you use only hardwood species for a fence. Also, you are undoubtedly aware that using green wood means that the posts will shrink quite rapidly as they dry out. This could dramatically affect the security of the posts. You may be able to reduce this by painting the posts with creosote or (what a lot of people do here in Australia) with old sump oil! It's surprisingly good for preserving timber and deterring termites, and a good way of recycling that troublesome sump oil.

[rowan57]

Originally Posted by dale

would you be interested in selling a small amount of the Eucalypt wood?
Im talking a board or limb about 12 inches long and 2-3 inches around.
I make a few things out of wood and we here in Missouri USA dont even have that kind of wood.
let me know what you think
And shipping to 65717

dale

Sorry, don't really have the time to ship to the US from Kenya. Im sure you can find a supplier at least in the Continental US.

[rowan57]

Originally Posted by culpeper

I'm no expert on either eucalypts or fence-construction, but I do know that eucalypts come in both soft and hardwood species. I would suggest you use only hardwood species for a fence. Also, you are undoubtedly aware that using green wood means that the posts will shrink quite rapidly as they dry out. This could dramatically affect the security of the posts. You may be able to reduce this by painting the posts with creosote or (what a lot of people do here in Australia) with old sump oil! It's surprisingly good for preserving timber and deterring termites, and a good way of recycling that troublesome sump oil.

Im pretty sure we have a hardwood species, I will double check though.
In terms of the shrinkage - I'm not too concerned, I think that if we just pack the earth around each pole down, every once in a while (Like once a month), that should do it, the labour is free so thats not a problem.

The posts will probably be dried for a couple of months before sticking in the ground, which out here is likely to dry them quite well, the humidity levels are low and there is generally a good breeze.

Sump oil is an interesting idea, while we don't have too much I'm sure the neighbours will from their tractors. Failing that creosote should be easily and cheaply available I think.

Thankyou
Rowan

[wogglebug]

There are many thousands of different eucalypts. As Culpepper said, some are soft, some hard. Some are naturally durable and distasteful to termites, some are loaded with sugars and are termite candy. Some are durable off the ground, but will rot immediately from fungii if you put them in the ground. Some of those are just not worth putting in the ground - you'd lose money using free wood. If you tell us which eucalyptus - genus (not everything commonly called "eucalyptus" is actually from that genus), species, variety if it applies - we may be able to give a better answer. The sump oil is generally a good start if you're not serving up candy, though. I'd cut the trees and start them drying RIGHT NOW anyway - even if they're unfit for use in the fence they still make good firewood or may be good for building, and every bit of curing they get will help if you are to use them in the fence.

[rowan57]

Thanks Wogglebug. Unfortunately I don't know the name of the tree but might be able to find out. It is definitely of the Eucalyptus genus though. We do have the oil, I just checked, and they have used it succesfully on the existing fence so it does work. Sounds like it might be a goer, I plan to start cutting in a couple of weeks.

Cheers
Rowan